Mr. President,
I thank you for convening this Informal Plenary Meeting in response to the request from the groups of OIC and Arab League; to hear briefing on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. We thank the United Nations agencies for the comprehensive briefing on the latest situation in Gaza. Bangladesh aligns itself with the Statement (to be) delivered by Mauritania on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Mr. President,
In last 43 days, we have been witnessing the escalation of war crime and genocide in the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented manner, including the targeted killing of civilians and humanitarian workers. More than 11000 people have been killed in Gaza, almost two thirds of whom being children and women. The death toll is increasing every day, and the ongoing Israeli ground operation has created a horrendous situation. Still nearly 3000 people remain trapped under the rubble with almost no chance of survival. So far, more than hundred UNRWA staffs have been killed and 67 UNRWA installations have been damaged. We are appalled by the ongoing Israeli military aggression targeting the Al Shifa hospital. Moreover, we have been seeing brazen activities of obstructing access of humanitarian assistance to the dying persons. The UN has stated that Israel is using “fuel as a tool of war”. We are receiving repeated warnings from UN and international agencies that the population of Gaza is facing starvation.
Mr. President, aren’t all these tantamount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide? We are disappointed to see the surprising silence of the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide; on this issue.
Mr. President,
We urge to take immediate action in line with the resolution ES 10/21 adopted in the emergency session on 27 October 2023, for immediate humanitarian truce and to ensure unhindered, unimpeded, and sufficient supply of humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
Also, though the resolution 2712 adopted in the Security Council on 15 November is not enough to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis and to stop the killing of civilians, we welcome it as a first light of hope to de-escalate the dire humanitarian situation; after failure of the Security Council to adopt a resolution several times. The Security Council should take immediate action for the implementation of resolution 2712.
Mr. President,
It is unacceptable that the international community, including the United Nations, has failed to take any visible action against such gross violation of international human rights and humanitarian laws including the 4th Geneva Convention by the Israeli Occupying Forces. We urge to make Israel comply with all norms and principles of protection of civilians and inviolability of civilian structure under international humanitarian and human rights law.
We also condemn the verbal attack on the UN Secretary-General, denial of access of the UN personnel and continuous breaches of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. All of these are sheer disrespect to this August body which was established to save the world from war and conflict.
In this regard, we echo the call for the creation of a mechanism for the protection of UN facilities and humanitarian installation and an uninterrupted movement of aid convoys.
Mr. President,
The culture of impunity that Israel has been enjoying for decades, due to unconditional support of some countries, is one of the reasons of this mass killing of civilians. We need to stand against this culture of impunity. In this regard, we reiterate our call for bringing the perpetrators of genocide and crime against humanity into justice. The situation in the State of Palestine needs to be referred to the International Criminal Court to investigate the crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the Gaza Strip since 07 October 2023.
Mr. President,
At present, more than 800 thousand internally displaced persons (IDPs) are sheltering in 154 UNRWA installations across all five governorates of the Gaza Strip, including in the north. They are dehydrated, hungry, exhausted, and shell-shocked, staying in the 365 square kilometer of open prison; in which not a single inch is safe. We need to ensure immediate support to stop any further loss of innocent lives. The massacre must be stopped immediately.
Before ending, Mr. President, we pay our sincere tribute to the humanitarian personnel including UNRWA staffs who has lost their lives and also express our deepest condolences to families of the bereaved. We reiterate our unflinching commitment to the just struggle of our Palestinian brothers and sisters.
I thank you Mr. President.