WHA79 - EU Statement - Item 17.2 – Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem

WHA79 - EU Statement - Item 17.2 - Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem

WHO

79^th session of the World Health Assembly

Item 17.2 - Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory,

including east Jerusalem

EU Statement

Chair,

I have the honour of speaking on behalf of the European Union and its 27 Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine and Republic of Moldova, the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Armenia align themselves with this statement.

We would like to thank the Director-General for the report on "Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem", which outlines public health implications of the humanitarian crisis.

WHO has been instrumental in supporting the people of Gaza and the West Bank including East Jerusalem, who have been suffering in the current crisis. We thank WHO, in particular its ever-committed team in oPt, for their incredible work and dedication. We welcome that, since the ceasefire agreement, WHO has been scaling up operations to support medical evacuations, restore life-saving health services, strengthen readiness to meet urgent needs and support the early recovery of the severely damaged health system. However, despite the WHO's efforts, aid remains largely insufficient. Ensuring access to healthcare, addressing malnutrition and communicable disease outbreaks through restoration of routine vaccination, providing mental health and psychosocial support remains essential.

We deplore the continuing catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and call on Israel to allow immediate, unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale into and throughout Gaza, and to enable the UN and its agencies, including UNRWA, and humanitarian organisations, to work independently and impartially to save lives and reduce suffering. Medical assistance must be a crucial and substantial part of the response. Unrestricted medical evacuations to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as other regions must be resumed. The EU reiterates the importance, by all parties, to ensure the protection of civilians, including health and humanitarian workers, as well as civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, schools and UN premises. Moreover, restoring healthcare facilities remains essential.

The European Union will continue to support the Palestinian Authority, including in its ongoing reform and with a view to its return to Gaza. The EU and its Member States also remain the largest provider of humanitarian aid for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, having mobilized €1.83 billion since 2023. We reiterate our call for the full implementation by all parties of the ceasefire and all other provisions of UNSCR 2803, in line with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and international political and legal principles. We stand ready to further contribute to Gaza's stabilisation, transitional governance, early recovery and reconstruction.

Thank you.

1. ^ North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.