Martin Griffiths, Undersecretary General of the United Nations for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, presented a documented report to the Security Council. Here are some excerpts:

“In Gaza, 134 United Nations Relief and Works Agency facilities for Palestinian Refugees were hit, and 148 UN staff were killed. Humanitarian relief centres were hit, even though they were identified and notified to the Israeli Forces. As ground operations move south, aerial bombardment has intensified in areas where civilians had been advised to relocate for their safety. More and more people are crammed into an increasingly smaller portion of the territory, only to find even more violence and deprivation, inadequate shelter, and the near absence of the most basic services. Rafah, where before the crisis the population was 280 thousand inhabitants, today hosts one million displaced people. And more people arrive every day.

Our efforts to send humanitarian convoys to the North have met with denials and the imposition of impossible conditions. Colleagues who managed to reach the North describe scenes of absolute horror: corpses abandoned on the roads, starving people blocking trucks in search of anything they can find to survive. And even if they manage to return home, they no longer have a home to live in.

Pressure is growing for the mass displacement of Palestinians to neighbouring countries. I want to emphasize that all people displaced from Gaza must be allowed to return as required by International Law. We are deeply alarmed by recent statements by Israeli ministers on plans to encourage the mass transfer of Palestinian civilians from Gaza to third countries, termed “voluntary transfer.”

These statements raise serious concerns regarding the possible mass forced transfer or deportation of the Palestinian population from the Gaza Strip, which would be strictly prohibited under International Law.

What we have seen since October 7th is a stain on our conscience. It will become an indelible mark on our humanity if we don’t act. I remain extremely concerned about the risk of further regional spread of this conflict. We cannot allow this situation to spread further: the consequences of a larger conflagration would be unimaginable”.

To Read the Complete statement by Martin Griffiths click Here 

Our thanks to Manlio Dinucci for having brought the above selection to our attention. 

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