Russian Ambassador: Without Permanent Ceasefire, Humanitarian Efforts In Gaza Will Fail

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzya. (UN Photo/Manuel Elvis)

JAKARTA - Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said at a UN Security Council meeting, without a comprehensive and long-lasting ceasefire, humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip would surely fail.

"We have repeatedly warned, if there is no comprehensive and sustainable ceasefire, which must be monitored properly through military observers, humanitarian efforts will be destroyed. Colleagues, humanitarian workers are powerless against the army," he explained.

"No matter how many voluntary deconflicts there is, it will not help. If one party is determined to continue to struggle. Especially when there is a signal from members of the Security Council that the resolution of the Council is suspected to be binding," he continued.

He further said that hostilities in the Palestinian enclave that continue to increase, contradict the demands of the UN Security Council Resolution 2728 and violate international humanitarian law norms.

"In conditions like this, sending humanitarian aid to Gaza residents is practically impossible. UN agencies unanimously said humanitarian access to the enclave was almost non-existent. According to OCHA (BP Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office), Israel Defense Forces blocked half of humanitarian aid. At the same time, according to information from humanitarian workers, aid is available, humanitarian supplies are waiting at the border, and there are sufficient financial resources to regulate shipments," he explained.

On the other hand, Nebenzya believes that the work of the UN Aid and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is very much needed in situations like this.

"We call for respect for the heroism of these Agency staff, who carry out their humanitarian mandate in inhumane conditions, and pay for it with their lives. To date, 178 staff members have lost their lives. This is the highest number of fatalities at any time for a UN agency", he explained.

"With this background, efforts to label UNRWA as a terrorist organization and calls for disbandment of the agency, which we have also heard in this courtroom, are unacceptable. Indiscriminate accusations against UNRWA representatives should not be used to tarnish this large and vital UN body, which employs 13,000 people in Gaza alone," he continued.

"If UNRWA is frozen, this step will become another illegal and immoral instrument as a collective punishment for millions of Palestinians in need," the Russian diplomat stressed.

It is known that the UN Security Council meeting began with a moment of silence in memory of humanitarian workers killed in Palestinian enclaves. According to the latest UN estimates, at least 224 humanitarian workers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the conflict increased on October 7, 2023.