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Top UN officials on Gaza: ‘These atrocities must end’
Top UN officials demand “an end to the appalling human suffering and humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip nearly one year into Israel’s war on Gaza.
“These atrocities must end,” the heads of UN agencies said in a statement as world leaders gathered in New York for the annual UN General Assembly.
Allowing war in occupied Palestinian territory to continue will have ‘global consequences’: UN agencies
“We urgently call for a sustained, immediate and unconditional ceasefire. This is the only way to end the suffering of civilians and save lives,” said the statement signed by the heads of 16 agencies. “All hostages and all those arbitrarily detained must be released immediately and unconditionally.”
The statement also called on Israel to grant aid workers access to Gaza.
“Humanitarians must have safe and unimpeded access to those in need. We cannot do our jobs in the face of overwhelming need and ongoing violence,” it said, calling again on world leaders to “wield their influence” to ensure international law is followed.
“The protection of civilians is a bedrock principle for the global community and in all countries’ interest,” the statement said. “Allowing the abhorrent, downward spiral caused by this war in the Occupied Palestinian Territory to continue will have unimaginable, global consequences.”
Signatories to UN statement call for end of Gaza ‘atrocities’
- Joyce Msuya, acting emergency relief coordinator and undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs
- Sofia Sprechmann Sineiro, secretary-general of CARE International
- Qu Dongyu, director general of the Food and Agriculture Organization
- Amy E Pope, director general of the International Organization for Migration
- Tom Hart, president and chief executive officer of InterAction
- Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, chief executive officer of Mercy Corps
- Volker Turk, high commissioner for human rights
- Paula Gaviria Betancur, special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Achim Steiner, administrator, of the UN Development Programme
- Janti Soeripto, president and chief executive officer of Save the Children US
- Anaclaudia Rossbach, executive director of the Human Settlement Programme
- Filippo Grandi, high commissioner for refugees
- Natalia Kanem, executive director of the UN Population Fund
- Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF
- Sima Bahous, undersecretary-general and executive director of UN Women
- Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Programme
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization
UN says it ‘must have unimpeded access for our humanitarian goods’
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, says 45 percent of all humanitarian movements in Gaza this month were “denied or impeded” by Israeli authorities.
“Movements had [been] particularly restricted between the south and the north as it requires crossing through Israeli checkpoints,” he said during a daily briefing. “There, 87 percent of movements have been denied or impeded. Only 5 percent have been facilitated, and the rest were cancelled.”
“Once again, we want to underscore that humanitarian operations in Gaza must be fully facilitated and we must have unimpeded access for our humanitarian goods,” he added.
