UK, Qatar and Jordan Lead 50 Countries in Urging Israel to Allow Full, Unimpeded Humanitarian Access Into Gaza
Sarah MacIntosh, the United Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, delivered a joint statement in New York on November 12 on behalf of 50 countries, together with the European Commission, the League of Arab States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, urging Israel's incoming government to allow full humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza rapidly and without impediment. The Call to Action was led by the United Kingdom, Qatar and Jordan, and was joined by countries including France, Australia, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia and Spain.
The statement said the Comprehensive Peace Plan endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803 provides for the immediate entry of full humanitarian assistance at levels no lower than those agreed on January 19, 2025, and that this has not yet been realised. Since the ceasefire, it said, progress has shown to be possible when political will allows, but as winter sets in far too many people in Gaza remain without adequate shelter and face risks of hypothermia, respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and other preventable illnesses, while constraints on critical shelter items and other lifesaving supplies continue to prevent humanitarian organisations from responding at the scale required.
Following elections in Israel, the signatories reiterated eight calls to the incoming Israeli government: to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza through all available crossings and land routes; to facilitate the full and predictable operation of the Egyptian and Jordanian corridors; to approve additional critical items, including dual-use items related to shelter, fuel, water, sanitation and health; to restore the medical referral pathway to hospitals in East Jerusalem and the West Bank; to protect healthcare workers, facilities and medical transport under international humanitarian law; to protect all notified humanitarian sites and personnel; to open transparent criminal investigations into attacks on healthcare and humanitarian workers; and to allow senior international delegations and journalists to access Gaza.
The signatories also committed to supporting urgent winterisation preparations, to backing the Palestinian Authority in working with the transitional National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the United Nations and other partners to restore essential health services and rehabilitate health infrastructure, and reaffirmed the vital role of the United Nations and its agencies and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Related: UN Relief Chief Fletcher Urges Immediate Release of Gaza Winter Supplies
(Source: UK Government)
Source: UK Government
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加沙地带 Al-Mawasi 一带流离失所巴勒斯坦人居住的帐篷区航拍（资料图）。Ashraf Amra 摄，联合国近东巴勒斯坦难民救济和工程处（UNRWA），CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO，经 Wikimedia Commons，本站档案复用。 / Photo: An aerial view of the Al-Mawasi area of the Gaza Strip, where displaced Palestinians live in tents (file photo). Photo by Ashraf Amra, UNRWA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO, via Wikimedia Commons; GSM archive reuse.
