BY
H.E. DR. MICHEAL IMRAN KANU
AMBASSADOR AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE
I thank Mr. Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, for his briefing and I also thank Dr. Louisa Baxter, Operations Lead, Save the Children’s Emergency Health Unit, Gaza, for the valuable and deeply concerning information provided.
The conflict in the Gaza Strip has gone on for too long, for the Palestinian civilians, the hostages and Israeli civilians, causing immense human suffering and devastation. It is also a deeply worrying state for civilians in Lebanon, the occupied Golan Heights, and wider Middle East region.
Amidst the sustained escalation of violence and the dire humanitarian crisis, since the adoption of Security Council resolution 2735, there is a collective desperation for meaningful progress to be made toward the cessation of hostilities and to reinvigorate the process to achieve lasting peace.
There is no luxury of time to save current and future generations from the long-term consequences of the Gaza conflict, including physical and mental. This Council, the UN system, and the international community have acted on the objectives of achieving a ceasefire, securing the release of hostages, prisoners and facilitating safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
During this month of August, as we have observed the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions and World Humanitarian Day (WHD), respectively, we reflect on the death toll of over 40,000 civilians, 289 humanitarian aid workers and 92,743 injured persons in the Gaza Strip since the 7th October 2023. This adds to the 1,200 killed during the October 7th attacks.
We continue to insistent that we cannot normalize the unjustifiable and unacceptable toll and scale of the conflict. It is incumbent upon us to put a human face to those killed, with reports of entire Palestinian families killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza.
This brings to light the blatant disregard for international humanitarian law. We therefore recall the statement of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) noting that: “The 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions – the cornerstone of the International humanitarian law – reminds us of the world’s agreement that wars must have limits and that, regardless of the circumstances, respect for human dignity and compassion must always guide our actions.”
On this note Sierra Leone pays tribute to all humanitarian personnel, including UNRWA and all other partners, working under the most challenging circumstances to provide aid to the vulnerable population in the Gaza Strip. We recognize their tireless efforts in preserving human dignity and saving lives.
Colleagues,
With the worsening humanitarian situation and a collapsed health system, the fear of the spread of the polio virus is a stark reality with the confirmation of the first active case of poliomyelitis in the Gaza Strip by the Ministry of Health of Palestine. The situation is alarming and in the words of the UN Secretary-General “hundreds of thousands of children in the Gaza Strip are at risk and the UN is poised to launch vital polio vaccine campaign for the more than 640,000 children under the age of 10”.
Sierra Leone supports the polio vaccine campaign by the UN. To mitigate the evident risk, we echo the call of the UN Secretary-General and other humanitarian partners for parties to the conflict to facilitate humanitarian access that will ensure an effective vaccination campaign for the vulnerable children in the Gaza Strip and beyond.
Colleagues,
Sierra Leone is gravely concerned about the surge in violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem triggered by settlement expansion and land disputes, provocation, incitements, extensive infrastructure damage, search and arrest operations, and detention of Palestinians. The condemn the violent acts, the incitement of such acts and the blatant impunity.
For ten months, our assessment of the conflict on civilians, in particular women and children, underscores the urgent need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Our call for a ceasefire is embedded in the fundamental principles of humanity, and it is a call to end impunity and violence, protect civilians, support humanitarian assistance, and uphold human rights.
Since this Council’s last meeting on the region on 13th August 2024 to date, there have been reports of deadly incidents in residential buildings around Gaza, Gaza City, Al Mawasi, and West Khan Younis, among others, that claimed about 134 lives with 342 injuries. These lives could have been saved, if only parties to the conflict were attentive to our initial and persistent calls.
We acknowledge the efforts of the mediators, Egypt, Qatar and United States, and welcome the resumption of negotiations in Doha last week. We encourage the mediators to employ all possible tools to ensure the talks leads to an agreement speedily. We emphasize the obligations on the parties to implement Security Council resolutions, including 2735.
We further urge for steps to be taken to ensure Palestinians rights to self-determination is fully respected and implemented. The advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of 19th July 2024 is clear on the unlawful nature of the occupation by Israel. Accordingly, the political horizon of a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security remains the only legally acceptable outcome.
Let me close by reiterate our call for the full respect for international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as well as accountability for the reported atrocities crimes committed in both Israel and Gaza.
I thank you.
