politics
UN Aid Chief Tells Security Council More Gaza Crossings and Fuel Access Needed After Ceasefire
Tom Fletcher told the UN Security Council on June 18 that average daily aid deliveries have reached 100 since the October 10 ceasefire but remain far below what international law requires.
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Tom Fletcher told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that Palestinians in Gaza require restored dignity, not merely survival, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on October 10. Fletcher said an average of 100 deliveries of humanitarian assistance have entered Gaza each day since the ceasefire began.
He described those deliveries as the bare minimum required by international law.
"It is not enough to silence the weapons – we must restore dignity," Fletcher stated. Fletcher called for the immediate opening of all crossing points into Gaza and the lifting of Israeli restrictions on medical equipment and fuel. "We cannot allow the summit of our ambition and our will to be a world where children have sufficient calories to survive and are spared constant bombing, yet remain hungry, bitten by rats, homeless and out of school," he added.
Bushra Khalidi, a humanitarian officer with the NGO Oxfam, also addressed the Security Council and urged member states to act with urgency, courage, and humanity. Le Monde reported that Fletcher criticized Israeli obstructions to the distribution of humanitarian assistance during his remarks.
