H.E. MR. AMARA S. M. SOWA|
CHARGE D’AFFAIRES A.I.
AMBASSADOR & DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE
Thank you, Madam President.
I thank Mr. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and Ms. Lisa Doughten, Director, Financing and Partnerships Division, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, for their briefings.
One year into this conflict, it is still a sad reality that the bloodshed continues in the Gaza Strip, since the unjustifiable and horrific attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths, as well as injuries, displacements, sexual violations and hundreds of men, women and children taken as hostages. We repeat our condemnation of this heinous act and call for the release of the remaining 101 hostages still held in Gaza, without any indication of their health conditions or access by the ICRC as required by international humanitarian law.
One year on from the response by Israel, the Gaza Strip has witnessed a period of repeated violence and intensified hostilities that has claimed over 42,000 thousand lives, injured tens of thousands more, destroyed almost all infrastructure, shattered families and destabilized the entire community. The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University (United States) in its paper “The Human Toll: Indirect Deaths from War in Gaza and the West Bank, October 7, 2023 Forward” states that the additional indirect deaths in Gaza and the West Bank stand at more than 67,000. Undoubtedly, civilians remain central in all of this, as they have been stripped off the protection accorded them under international law, with seeming impunity.
For the past months, reports from the United Nations and other humanitarian experts have painted a dire and devasting picture of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip by often referring to it as a “humanitarian disaster” and “massive human rights crisis”.
It has been reported that over 1.4 million civilians did not receive their food rations in September, even though over 100,000 metric tons of food supplies were stuck outside the Gaza Strip owing to various factors of access restriction, damaged roads, and heightened insecurity. This food shortage in the Gaza Strip is worrying for a population that has been forced by prevailing circumstances to rely exclusively on humanitarian aid.
On this note, we recognize the efforts of UNRWA and other humanitarian personnel, who despite the challenges, continue to do their utmost in delivering aid and providing assistance to civilians in need.
Evacuation orders are significantly impacting humanitarian operations, particularly between southern and northern Gaza. Schools and hospitals can no longer be utilized for their intended purpose as they have been either destroyed, lack the basic facilities, or used as shelters for a displaced population.
UNRWA, a United Nations Agency and the backbone of humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip, has remained a prime target for the Israeli Authority as new legislation from Israel seeks to curtail its operations in Gaza and weaken its influence in the region. Since the start of the conflict, we have seen repeated attacks on its personnel, premises, and mandate. Such actions will only compound the crisis for the 1.9 million internally displaced people relying mainly on the services of UNRWA to survive and thrive.
As several challenges continue to stretch humanitarian personnel beyond their abilities and expose an entire population to malnutrition, disease, starvation and death; Sierra Leone would like to emphasize the following three points:
First, we reiterate the call of the Security Council in resolutions 2712 and 2720 that demanded, consistent with international law, continuous, sufficient and unhindered provision of essential goods and services important to the well-being of civilians throughout the Gaza Strip. By this we request that all access restrictions into the Gaza Strip be lifted.
Second, Sierra Leone reaffirmed its support for the UNRWA and all other humanitarian partners operating in the region, considering the particular operational, political, and security context in which they work. We will continue to implore UNRWA to commit to implementing the recommendations outlined in the independent Review Group report titled “Independent Review of Mechanism and Procedures to Ensure its Adherence to Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality”.
Third, we emphasize that all civilians must be protected at all times, in conformity with international law, including international humanitarian law which requires a distinction between military targets and civilians.
In conclusion, we urgently call for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the region. Experts have advised that the prevailing conditions will be more catastrophic as winter approaches; therefore, an immediate halt in the fighting is essential to save this generation from the scourge of war. We call on parties to the conflict to exercise their political will and engage constructively to achieve a tangible outcome.
Sierra Leone remains committed to finding lasting peace to this conflict, with the two-state solution being the ultimate end.
I thank you.
