Thank you, Mr. President.
And like my British colleague, I would like to begin by thanking the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs ad interim, Joyce Msuya, and the Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergency Management Programme, Mike Ryan, for their presentations and information, but above all for the tireless courage of their teams, who work in the most difficult situations, often risking their lives.
Switzerland, together with Great Britain, requested the convening of this meeting because the security conditions do not allow humanitarians to do their job. This is unacceptable, especially as the humanitarian situation worsens daily.
Four months ago, this Council adopted Resolution 2730, which Switzerland was proud to draft. A new incident in Gaza reminds us of the urgent relevance of this resolution: the World Food Program was working on its mission to deliver food, essential to the survival of civilians, when its vehicles and personnel came under fire – as we have also just heard from Mrs Msuya.
We are also very concerned that evacuation orders - orders which, according to international law, should serve to protect the population and, in particular, should take place in adequate conditions in terms of hygiene, health, safety, shelter and nutrition - are having the opposite effect. Together with the hostilities, the Israeli army's orders to date have caused the displacement of almost 90% of the inhabitants, who live on less than 11% of the Gaza Strip in a small, overcrowded, polluted and dangerous area, where essential services are limited, including medical facilities, shelters and water wells.
In addition to uprooting already exhausted families, many of them children, these orders pose enormous obstacles to humanitarian activities. Humanitarian actors lose access to the premises and logistical infrastructure they need to operate - as was the case on Sunday night in Deir al-Balah.
Switzerland calls on all parties to respect their obligations under international law, and in particular to respect and protect humanitarian personnel and their activities. All parties have an obligation to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to all civilians in need. This therefore also applies to armed groups such as Hamas. Furthermore, Switzerland recalls that Israel - as the occupying power, and as recalled by the International Court of Justice - is obliged to fulltill the humanitarian needs of the population.
As a result of the catastrophic conditions in Gaza, as we have just heard, polio has resurfaced. It is imperative that the vaccination campaign planned by the UN be carried out in complete safety for humanitarian personnel and civilians, in particular the 640,000 children under the age of ten who must be inoculated from Saturday. Switzerland is supporting the vaccination campaign with one million Swiss francs.
The Secretary-General has made it clear that the guns must fall silent to allow the UN to carry out the two necessary vaccination phases.
This Council has unanimously demanded a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages in its resolutions 2728 and 2735. We support the mediation of Egypt, Qatar and the United States. At the same time, we must reaffirm our demand for respect for international humanitarian law, in all circumstances and by all parties. Even in the absence of a ceasefire, humanitarian work must be allowed to continue.
Switzerland salutes the work of the UN and its partners in these extremely difficult conditions. This Council must remain informed about the conduct of the vaccination campaign and, if necessary, be ready to act.
Mr. President,
Switzerland is also very concerned about the escalation in the West Bank, which has reached a new dimension. We are observing a sharp increase in Israeli operations, including air strikes in densely populated areas, such as Jenin and Tulkarem in recent days.
This is also resulting in severe restrictions on movement, including those imposed on medical personnel. It is unacceptable that here too, basic services to the population are regularly cut off.
We call on Israel to respect its obligations under international law. In particular, the use of force must meet the criteria of necessity and proportionality, and respect every individual's right to life and security of person.
In conclusion, respect for international law and the resolutions of this Council is a sine qua non for deescalation, including regional de-escalation, and a first step towards the establishment of a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
We reiterate our firm support for the negotiated two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine, of which Gaza is an integral part, living side by side in peace and security within secure and recognized borders.
Thank you.