Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council
meeting on Rafah.
Thank you, President. Let me start by thanking Special
Coordinator Wennesland and Ms Wosornu for their briefing
today. And I'd like to express our deepest condolences once again
for the loss of UN staff who have been killed in this
conflict.
President, I will now make three broad points.
First, it has now been over seven months since the dreadful
terror attacks of 7 October. Hostages are still being held and
our thoughts are with them and their families who continue to
suffer without knowledge of the safety and wellbeing of their
loved ones.
The situation in Gaza is desperate and the toll on civilians
continues to grow. Too many Palestinian civilians have been
killed and there is an urgent need to get more aid to the people
of Gaza to prevent a famine.
The UK is clear that we would not support an expanded operation
in Rafah unless there is a very clear plan for how to protect
people and save lives. We have not seen that plan so, in these
circumstances, we would not support an expanded operation in
Rafah.
Second, we welcome the news that the Cyprus maritime aid corridor
to Gaza is operational. Aid from the UK and other nations is now
making its way via that route to the Gazan people. But this is
not enough.
We urge Israel to let humanitarian aid enter Gaza through all
crossings, including by reopening Rafah. Israel must fulfil its
commitments to increase aid and guarantee deconfliction for aid
convoys and other humanitarian work.
We have seen appalling attacks on aid convoys and UN offices by
Israeli extremists, and the tragic deaths of UN and other
humanitarian personnel in Gaza. We condemn all attacks on aid
workers and support the UN's call for an independent
investigation.
Finally, the fastest way to end the conflict is to secure a deal
which gets the hostages out and allows for a pause in the
fighting. We must then work to turn that pause into a
sustainable, permanent ceasefire.
We must remove Hamas' capacity to launch attacks at Israel and
end their control of Gaza to ensure lasting peace. We must also
provide steadfast support to the new Palestinian government as
they implement much-needed reforms, and in order to secure a
political horizon for the Palestinian people with a credible and
irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.
