PRESS RELEASE : The UK calls for an immediate pause in fighting, then progress towards a sustainable ceasefire [February 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 February 2024.

Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on food security risks in Gaza.

Thank you, President, and I thank OCHA for the White Note and I thank too our briefers from OCHA, the FAO and the World Food Programme.

Colleagues, we are witnesses to a desperate situation in Gaza which is worsening day by day. In Rafah and the South, people are crammed into tents if they’re lucky, but without sufficient food, water or hygiene. In North Gaza, as we’ve heard from the World Food Programme, humanitarian organisations cannot get aid to people who desperately need it. Hunger is at catastrophic levels. As ever, the most devastating impact falls on the most vulnerable: women and children.

To address this, three things need to happen:

First, we call on all parties to stop fighting immediately. This is crucial to get aid in and hostages out, and then progress towards a sustainable and permanent ceasefire. This is the only way to alleviate catastrophic hunger and suffering in Gaza.

Second, we urge Israel to allow more aid into Gaza, and to facilitate distribution throughout the strip. Thousands of trucks are stuck in Egypt and Jordan, containing food, shelter and other essentials. We need more crossings opened for longer, including Kerem-Shalom. We need unencumbered access for aid coming from Jordan; we need the full opening of Ashdod Port. Key to this too is increasing the speed and capacity of aid screening operations, including at Kerem-Shalom and Nitzana to allow this life-saving aid to reach those who need it as soon as possible.

We are particularly concerned that the World Food Programme has had to suspend aid deliveries into Northern Gaza, due to the breakdown of law and order. Airdrops cannot substitute for land-based delivery; humanitarians need safe and unhindered access to the North through the Erez Crossings now.

We urge Israel to resume water and electricity supplies, which is critical for food production and safe drinking water. Commercial activity also needs to restart.

Third, the UN and humanitarian partners need greater protection and access to the tools needed to accomplish their mission. This includes armoured vehicles, communications equipment, personal protective equipment and visas. They need functioning deconfliction mechanisms and safety guarantees for locations and convoys.

President, colleagues, conflict in Gaza is driving hunger. Hunger is driving a breakdown in law and order, making it impossible for aid agencies to deliver aid safely.

This White Note makes clear that we need to act now. The UK calls for an immediate pause in fighting, then progress towards a sustainable ceasefire. This is the only way to avert famine and alleviate suffering.

Thank you.