Joint statement delivered by Ambassador Barbara Woodward, UK Permanent Representative to the UN, on behalf of Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.
We, the UK, Denmark, France, Greece and Slovenia, called for today's urgent meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Gaza.
First, we first want to welcome the release of Edan Alexander yesterday and reiterate our call for all of the remaining hostages who have been cruelly held by Hamas for over 18 months to be released immediately.
Their suffering must end. The Security Council has been consistent and clear on this since the brutal terror attack on 7 October.
Hamas must have no future role in Gaza or be in a position to threaten Israel.
Israel has now fully blocked aid entering Gaza for over two months.
Blocking aid as a "pressure lever" is unacceptable.
And last week, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved plans to expand its military operations in Gaza.
We strongly oppose both these actions, which will add to Palestinian suffering, while doing nothing to serve the long-term interests of peace and security in the region, nor to secure the safe return of the hostages.
Any attempt by Israel to annex land in Gaza would be unacceptable and violate international law.
Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change.
On the humanitarian situation, the World Food Programme have told us they already have no food left. Palestinian civilians, including children, face starvation as a result.
Just yesterday, the IPC released a report warning that Gaza's entire population is already at critical risk of famine.
Without an urgent lifting of the aid block, more Palestinians are at risk of dying. Deaths that could easily be avoided.
Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool or a military tactic.
We are also deeply concerned at proposals to establish a new mechanism for the delivery of aid, which the UN has said would not meet humanitarian principles.
International law requires Israel to allow and facilitate the safe, rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian aid and ensure that basic services are provided for all Gazan civilians.
This applies to all armed conflicts around the world.
Gaza is not an exception.
We have two clear messages for the Government of Israel: lift the block on aid entering Gaza now and enable the UN and all humanitarians to save lives.
Any model for distributing humanitarian aid must be independent, impartial and neutral, and in line with international humanitarian law and principles.
We cannot support any model that places political or military objectives above the needs of civilians. Or that undermines the UN and other partners' ability to operate independently.
We are also outraged by the killing of Palestinian Red Crescent workers and the hit on a UN compound on 19 March. Humanitarian aid workers and UN premises must be protected.
We call on Israel to complete and release the findings of its investigation into the UN compound incident and take concrete action to ensure this can never happen again.
At least 418 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began.
That is at least 418 too many.
We urge Israel to investigate all incidents transparently, to be clear on the steps taken to hold those responsible to account and reinstate an effective deconfliction system.
The only way to end the suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis is for an immediate return to a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages, and to urgently advance efforts to achieve a two-state solution.
This is the only way to achieve long-term peace and security for both Palestinians and Israelis, and we welcome France and Saudi Arabia's leadership in chairing an international conference on the two-state solution here in New York in June.
