President, Sunday marked six months since Israel suffered the worst terror attack in its history. Six months that over 100 innocent hostages continue to be held by Hamas in Gaza. The UK condemns the October 7th attacks unequivocally and calls for the unconditional and immediate release of all the hostages.
Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with international humanitarian law, as we have said from the outset.
President, over 200 aid workers have died, over 33,000 Palestinian civilians, including 12,000 children have died. Civilians in Gaza are facing a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis. There must be a reduction in civilian casualties.
President, I wish to make three points:
First, we need to see an immediate humanitarian pause, leading to a sustainable ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life. This is the fastest way to get the hostages out, and much needed aid in. Security Council resolution 2728 called for that, and we call on all parties to implement its provisions urgently. We welcome the ongoing negotiations led by Qatar, Egypt, and the US to this end.
Second, more must be done to ensure significantly more live-saving aid reaches people in need in Gaza. We have reiterated the need for Israel to put in place an effective deconfliction mechanism immediately and urgently scale up humanitarian access.
Israel has committed to significant steps to increase the amount of aid getting into Gaza, including allowing the delivery of humanitarian aid through the Port of Ashdod and the Erez checkpoint. For a long time, the UK has urged Israel to take these steps and they are welcome.
We also need to see an improvement in the operating environment within Gaza, so that as more aid gets in, it can be distributed quickly and effectively. We are calling on Israel to make progress on the UN's minimal operating requirements, including more visas and driver approvals and more trucks permitted to cross into Gaza.
For our part, the UK has trebled our aid commitment this financial year. We will keep doing everything we can to get more aid in by land, sea, and air to reach people in desperate need in Gaza.
Thirdly, finally, we need to focus on the vital elements for a lasting peace. These include the release of all hostages; the formation of a new Palestinian Government for the West Bank and Gaza accompanied by an international support package; removing Hamas's capacity to launch attacks against Israel; Hamas no longer being in charge of Gaza; and a political horizon which provides a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.
Thank you.
