STATEMENT BY
H.E. DR. MICHAEL IMRAN KANU
AMBASSADOR & PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE
Thank you, Mr. President,
I thank you for convening this urgent meeting of the Security Council at the request of the European members.
I also thank Under-Secretary-General Mr. Tom Fletcher, and UNICEF’s Executive Director Ms. Catherine Russell for their sobering and important briefings.
On the tragic humanitarian situation in Gaza, it is important to reiterate that Sierra Leone speaks not as a distant observer, but as a State with deep understanding of the horrors of conflict, impunity, and international indifference. We understand too well what it means when international humanitarian law is disregarded, and civilians are left defenceless. We speak from that place of experience, empathy, and enduring responsibility, committed to the protection of civilians, the preservation of international law, and the pursuit of peace with justice.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is beyond catastrophic. It is inhumane and indefensible. We note that in response to the brutal and condemnable attacks of 7 October 2023 and the unlawful taking of Israeli hostages by Hamas and other armed groups, acts of terror which we have condemned, the State of Israel’s military operations in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of over 58,000 Palestinians, including over 17,000 children, 10,000 women, and 4,000 elderly persons.
No vulnerable or protected group has been spared from the brutality. Over 139,000 people have been injured, most of them women and children, and more than 9,000 remain missing, presumed buried under rubble. These are not abstract statistics. They are lives lost, families devastated, and futures erased.
With the restrictions imposed on UN aid distribution and the commencement of food distribution by the euphemised Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in late May 2025, we express grave concern over reports indicating that over 700 Palestinian civilians have been killed near aid distribution points, with over 600 of those fatalities occurring at or around GHF-operated sites. These tragic deaths, resulting from stampedes, crush injuries, and the use of live ammunition by Israeli forces and contracted security personnel, underscore the urgent need for the protection of humanitarian operations and the civilians they are intended to serve.
This rising toll is not an unfortunate side-effect of conflict, nor collateral damage, but the result of deliberate policies that deprive civilians of their most basic rights. The ongoing siege, collective punishment, targeting of infrastructure, denial of humanitarian access, and the use of starvation as a method of warfare all constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL).
IHL is unambiguous. The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits collective punishment and places obligations on occupying powers to ensure the provision of food, medical care, and essential services. Additional Protocol I of 1977, under Article 54, explicitly prohibits the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, applicable in this case, defines the intentional starvation of civilians by impeding relief supplies as a war crime. The Genocide Convention of 1948, under Article II(c), defines deliberately inflicting on a group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part as a constituent element of genocide.
These obligations are binding on the parties. The International Court of Justice, in the case South Africa v. Israel, has issued provisional measures ordering the Government of Israel to permit humanitarian assistance. These measures are also binding. They must be respected, but that have been and are being continually disregarded at best. This Council has a responsibility to ensure compliance.
International jurisprudence, including from the ICTY, has affirmed that the denial of food, water, shelter, and medical care, especially when accompanied by widespread destruction and forced displacement, can constitute evidence of genocidal acts. The Appeals Chamber in the Srebrenica genocide cited such conditions in determining genocidal intent.
It bears repeating that the obligation to prevent genocide is a peremptory norm of international law and is erga omnes, owed by all States to the international community as a whole. This duty requires not only abstention from acts of genocide but also proactive measures to prevent such crimes where there is a serious risk of their occurrence.
According, a blanket refutation, however consistent, is not a sufficient response to an erga omnes obligation. The pattern of mass civilian killings, obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the systematic targeting of life-sustaining infrastructure in Gaza must be examined within this prism. Indeed, today in Gaza, we see indicators of prolonged bombardment, the destruction of crops and wells, targeted killings of journalists and humanitarian workers, the cutting of fuel, water, and electricity supplies, and public calls by senior officials of the Government of Israel for the displacement of the population. These acts, taken cumulatively, raise serious concerns under both international humanitarian and criminal law.
Inaction, therefore, in the face of such grave breaches, undermines the collective commitment of States under the Genocide Convention and the UN Charter and risks eroding the foundational principles of our shared humanity.
Mr. President,
Sierra Leone urges this Council to act decisively and without delay. We call on the members with the means to do so, to act. The rules-based international order must not be sacrificed to inertia or geopolitics. We therefore call for:
First, a complete cessation of hostilities and the initiation of a credible and irreversible political process leading to a permanent ceasefire.
Second, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, including Israeli civilians held by Hamas, and Palestinian detainees held without due process.
Third, an immediate and unconditional lifting of the aid restrictions and restoration of full and unhindered humanitarian access. We therefore welcome the announcement of the agreement between the State of Israel and the European Union last week, to expand the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through multiple crossings, allow for the repair of critical infrastructure, and ensure the protection of aid workers.
Fourth, full compliance with the ICJ’s provisional measures, including those mandating the facilitation of humanitarian assistance. Equally important is the implementation of all the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, including 2712, 2720 and 2735. These resolutions are still valid and are binding on all parties.
Fifth, independent, impartial, and transparent investigations into all alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, including a call for an immediate investigation into the fatalities at GHF aid distribution sites and convoys.
Sierra Leone commends the ongoing diplomatic efforts, including those led by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, to achieve a ceasefire and scale up aid delivery. We also welcome the joint re-convening by France and Saudi Arabia of the postponed international conference on the establishment of the Palestinian State. We reaffirm our support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and for a two-State solution.
In closing, Mr. President, we must note that this Council in just two generations must not be remembered for what it again failed to prevent. We must endeavour to discharge our responsibility until relief reaches Gaza, the hostages are released, and hostilities cease.
In the face of current inaction, we must also not be silent. As we recall the solemn words of “Never again,” it must apply universally, to all peoples, in all places, and at all times, in particular, to the people of Palestine, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and now.
I thank you.