Dozens of countries and international organizations on Thursday urged Israel’s incoming government to allow faster and wider humanitarian access into Gaza. Ambassador Sarah MacIntosh, the United Kingdom’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, delivered the joint statement at the United Nations in New York.
She spoke on behalf of states and bodies that joined a Call to Action on health and humanitarian access into Gaza, led by the United Kingdom, Qatar and Jordan. The participants include Australia, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, India, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Türkiye and the State of Palestine. The European Commission, the League of Arab States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation also joined.
The statement says the Comprehensive Peace Plan, endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803, provides for the immediate entry of full humanitarian aid into Gaza. It says the levels should be no lower than those agreed on Jan. 19, 2025. The statement says this “has not yet been realised.”
The statement says progress has been possible since the ceasefire when political will allows. But as winter sets in, it says, many people in Gaza still lack adequate shelter and face risks from hypothermia, respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and other preventable illnesses. It says limits on the entry of shelter items and other lifesaving supplies keep humanitarian organizations from responding at the scale required.
The statement refers to elections in Israel and repeats its call to the incoming Israeli government. It asks Israel to allow and facilitate rapid, unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza, and through all available crossings and land routes. It also asks Israel to facilitate the full and predictable operation of the Egyptian and Jordanian humanitarian corridors.
The countries and bodies also asked Israel to approve more critical items, including those considered “dual use,” in particular for shelter, fuel, water, sanitation and health supplies. They asked Israel to restore the medical referral pathway to hospitals in East Jerusalem and the West Bank for people with illnesses and injuries that cannot be adequately treated in Gaza.
Other requests concern protection and access. The statement asks Israel to protect healthcare workers, healthcare facilities and medical transport in line with international humanitarian law. It asks Israel to protect all notified humanitarian sites and to guarantee the protection afforded to humanitarian and civilian personnel and infrastructure. It also asks for transparent criminal investigations into attacks on healthcare and humanitarian workers, opened and expedited, and for senior international delegations and journalists to be allowed into Gaza.
The countries also made commitments of their own. They said they will support urgent winter preparations, including shelter, water, sanitation and health supplies. They said they will support the Palestinian Authority, working with the transitional National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the United Nations and other humanitarian partners, to restore essential health services and rehabilitate health infrastructure. They also reaffirmed the role of the United Nations and its agencies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and other impartial humanitarian organizations in delivering aid.
The statement did not give dollar amounts or say which countries will provide which support. It also did not say when Israel’s new government will take office. The text does not include a response from Israel.