‘Israel Deliberately, Unashamedly Imposing Inhumane Conditions’ on Civilians in Gaza, Under-Secretary-General Tells Security Council, as Risk of Famine Grows

'Israel Deliberately, Unashamedly Imposing Inhumane Conditions' on Civilians in Gaza, Under-Secretary-General Tells Security Council, as Risk of Famine Grows

Suffering Experienced by Palestinian Population Has Its Origin in Extremist Decisions, Actions Taken by Hamas, Says Delegate

The United Nations top humanitarian official, briefing the Security Council today on the grim reality across the Gaza Strip, asked those present to reflect on what they will tell future generations when asked what they did to stop the "twenty-first-century atrocity" unfolding daily before the eyes of the world.

"Israel is deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," stated Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Nothing has entered Gaza for more than 10 weeks, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been forcibly displaced and the 2.1 million Palestinians in the Strip face the risk of famine. Also reporting that the few hospitals that have somehow survived bombardment are overwhelmed, he said: "I can tell you, from having visited what's left of Gaza's medical system, that death on this scale has a sound and a smell that does not leave you."

He underscored that humanitarians have a single ask for the Council: "Let us work." The UN and its partners are "desperate" to resume aid across Gaza at scale, he stressed, adding "we have a plan", "we have shown we can deliver" and "we have life-saving supplies ready at the borders". And, while he pointed out that "rigorous" mechanisms are in place to ensure aid gets to civilians - not Hamas - he said: "Israel denies us access, placing their objective of depopulating Gaza before the lives of civilians." Further, he stressed that the recently proposed, Israeli-designed distribution modality "is not the answer"; rather, it "makes starvation a bargaining chip" and constitutes "a fig leaf for further violence and displacement".

"There is, I fear, a broader context here," he observed, noting that Palestinian journalists, civil society and individuals have "live-streamed their destruction to the world" for the past 19 months. During this time, aid workers have been the only international civilian presence in Gaza. "We are your eyes and ears," he said. Recalling briefings to the Council on the deliberate obstruction of aid operations and the systematic dismantling of Palestinian life in Gaza, he said that, while the International Court of Justice will weigh such testimony when it considers whether a genocide is occurring in Gaza, "it will be too late".

Stating that this degradation of international law is "corrosive and infectious", he called on the Council to demand an end to it and insist on accountability; on Israel to stop killing civilians and lift the brutal blockade; and on Hamas and other armed groups to release all hostages immediately and cease putting civilians at risk during military operations. "For those who will not survive what we fear is coming - in plain sight - it will be no consolation to know that future generations will hold us in this Chamber to account," he observed, underscoring: "But they will."

Angélica Jácome, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison Office with the United Nations, then highlighted the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis, which confirms that the entire population of the Gaza Strip remains at critical risk of famine. She reminded delegates that, "by the time famine has been declared, people are already dying of hunger with irreversible consequences that will last generations". One out of five people in Gaza, she added, are facing food insecurity classified as "catastrophe". Prior to 7 October 2023, the Strip had low rates of malnutrition due to a diverse and affordable food supply.

But agrifood systems have collapsed, she reported - nearly 75 per cent of the cropland has been damaged or destroyed, and almost 95 per cent of cattle, and more than half of sheep and goat herds, are dead. "The price of wheat flour has increased by 3,000 per cent since February 2025," she added, noting that people in Gaza are not only experiencing a lack of food - "they are going through a profound breakdown of health, livelihoods and social structures". She underscored: "This crisis is preventable: food, food-production kits, medicine, water and hygiene kits are waiting to be delivered across the border."

Yet, as the floor opened, the representative of Algeria pointed out that "the only thing allowed entry into Gaza is death", as bombs and gunfire pass freely while babies are denied milk. And the world, it seems, has grown accustomed to this catastrophe, as if the images of parents gathering their children's body parts are meaningless. Stating that the international community now stands at a "crossroads between morality and special interests" - and faces not a crisis of resources, but a "crisis of conscience" - he called on the Council to "listen to the cries of Gaza as it is suffocating under the rubble".

The representative of Denmark - whose delegation called for today's meeting, along with the Council's other European members - joined others in pointing out that "food is rotting at the border while the people of Gaza are starving", and medical supplies wait undelivered while the sick and wounded suffer and die. Recalling that the Israeli Government recently announced a new aid-distribution mechanism, she noted that the UN has decided not to participate in this modality. "Denmark supports the UN's position," she stated, stressing that people in Gaza do not need a new aid mechanism - "they need aid to flow freely".

Similarly, the representative of the United Kingdom - underlining the tons of food currently "rotting at the border, blocked from reaching people who are starving" - said: "This is cruel and inexcusable." She, too, opposed any aid mechanism seeking to deliver political or military objectives. France's representative also opposed the humanitarian-assistance mechanism proposed by Israel, emphasizing that the modalities planned within run counter to international law. Condemning the planned expansion of Israeli activities in Gaza, he stressed: "Serious violations of international law will not help Israeli security in any way."

Going further, the representative of Slovenia stated that this war, and the lack of an appropriate reaction to it, could change the way future wars are fought. "Wars have rules, and Gaza is no exception," he underscored, also rejecting the humanitarian-aid model recently outlined by Israel, as it does not "meet the minimum bar for principled humanitarian support". For his part, the representative of Greece, Council President for May, spoke in his national capacity to urge the safe, unconditional delivery of humanitarian aid, as well as restored access to electricity and water.

The international community should not allow established international legal and humanitarian norms to be upended by proposals that do not satisfy humanitarian principles, urged Guyana's representative. "Palestinians cannot simply be condemned to a fate of starvation, malnutrition and disease in the interest of advancing military objectives," she underscored. Concurring was Somalia's representative, who stressed that "humanitarian assistance must never be politicized" and rejected "the proposal reportedly put forward by Israel to impose a unilateral mechanism for the distribution of aid in Gaza".

Through such proposal, said the representative of the Russian Federation, "the Israeli leadership is essentially calling on the UN to become an accomplice in its own military operation and, thus, endanger the neutrality and impartiality of humanitarian activity". China's representative, for his part, underlined the need to uphold the principles of impartiality, independence and neutrality in the distribution of aid. "Humanitarian access is not a favour - it is a legal obligation," stressed the representative of Pakistan, stating that the normalization of starvation as a weapon of war is a crime.

"No one wants to see Palestinian civilians in Gaza go hungry and thirsty," said the representative of the United States, voicing support for aid delivery to non-combatants in Gaza "in a way that does not allow Hamas to benefit". "There is now a means through which this can be done," she noted, referring to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which she said "is an independent entity that has been established to provide a secure mechanism capable of delivering aid directly to those in need, without Hamas stealing, looting or leveraging this assistance for its own ends".

"We cannot ignore the fact that much of the suffering currently being experienced by the Palestinian population in Gaza has its origin in the extremist decisions and actions taken by Hamas," said Panama's representative. Joining others in welcoming the recent release of Edan Alexander, he called for the freeing of those still being held in Gaza. Nevertheless, while recalling Israel's claim that it was fighting against Hamas - not against civilians - the representative of the Republic of Korea said: "The undeniable fact is that women and children account for well over half of the more than 50,000 fatalities."

Noting Israel's status as an occupying Power, the representative of Sierra Leone pointed out that international law places on that State the primary responsibility for the safety and well-being of the civilian population under its effective control. This includes the obligation to facilitate humanitarian relief, safeguard civilian infrastructure and uphold the principle of non-discrimination in aid provision. "The provision of military assistance without adequate regard for humanitarian law may amount to the facilitation of violations," he added.

For his part, the observer of the State of Palestine quoted a recent statement by Israel's Prime Minister to the Knesset: "We are destroying more and more homes. They have nowhere to return to. The only inevitable outcome will be the wish of Gazans to emigrate outside of the Gaza Strip." This is the destruction of a people by death, displacement and endless atrocities, he underscored, adding: "The Israeli plan for the so-called 'distribution of humanitarian aid' continues pursuing these same illegal objectives by other means."

Meanwhile, Israel's representative - after welcoming the release of Edan Alexander - recalled a former hostage's testimony that "terrorists ate like kings" while hostages starved. Israel, he underscored, will not allow food, fuel and funds to be funnelled into the Hamas terror machine. While Israel has worked with international partners to get aid to those who need it, he said that "misinformation continues" and added that the UN and its Secretary-General dismissed the proposal for a new humanitarian-aid mechanism before it was even finalized or made public.

Last to take the floor, the representative of the United Arab Emirates, speaking for the Arab Group, said that the humanitarian mechanism proposed by Israel - which aims to compel the UN and other organizations to use only five designated points to enter and distribute aid - "clearly demonstrates [that country's] intent to manipulate humanitarian assistance as an instrument of political and military control". Israel must allow immediate and full entry of humanitarian aid, open all crossings and fulfil its responsibilities as an occupying Power, he underscored.