UN demands hostage release, urges protection and aid for Gaza civilians

Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, and Edem Wosornu, Director of Operations for humanitarian coordination wing, OCHA, were briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, against the backdrop of the recovery of the bodies of six hostages killed in Gaza and polio vaccination campaign which began at the weekend.

The urgent meeting was requested – separately – by both Algeria and Israel. According to media reports, Israel demanded the Council condemn Hamas in the strongest possible terms and address the dire situation of the hostages still held in captivity.

Algeria reportedly requested the meeting to discuss the worsening situation in Gaza and the West Bank.

Next month will mark the somber one year-mark of the 7 October terror attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel, in which more than 1,250 Israeli and foreign nationals were killed and around 250 were abducted and taken into Gaza.

At least 101 hostages – including some remains of those declared dead – remain in Gaza, which has been under a relentless Israeli military onslaught that has claimed more than 41,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Strip’s health authorities.

Heartbreaking news

Ms. DiCarlo recalled her meeting last November with the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the hostages killed.

She said that according to the Israeli Government, the hostages had been shot multiple times at close range and that they were killed by Hamas shortly before Israeli soldiers were able to reach them inside a tunnel in Rafah.

Following the recovery of the bodies, Hamas announced that militants guarding hostages in the buildings and tunnels of Gaza had new instructions to kill hostages before they could be recovered alive by Israeli forces, she added.

“I echo the words of the Secretary-General once again: all hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally,” Ms. DiCarlo reiterated.

“For as long as they are held, in accordance with international legal obligations, they must be treated humanely and allowed to receive visits and assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).”

Ms. DiCarlo also updated on the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, included the latest on large-scale Israeli military operations, settler attacks and armed Palestinian violence against Israelis.

‘No limits’ to brutality

Briefing alongside Ms. DiCarlo, Ms. Wosornu highlighted the death and destruction across the Gaza Strip, stating “the brutality of this conflict seems to know no limits.”

“We see this in the many attacks harming humanitarian workers: 295 humanitarian workers killed since 7 October [2023],” she added.

Many humanitarian assets, including several UN vehicles “have been directly hit in more than a dozen separate incidents even though their movements were notified,” she said.

Ms. Wosornu outlined the fallout from this, limiting the delivery of lifesaving aid to those in desperate need, such as the temporary suspension of staff movements by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) following an attack on one of its convoys last week.

Polio pauses, rare ray of hope

Both UN officials welcomed the local humanitarian pauses, which enabled the launch of the emergency polio vaccination campaign.

“The polio pauses are a rare ray of hope and humanity amid the horror in Gaza,” Ms. DiCarlo said, noting that the images of young children receiving their vaccinations amid utter ruin “are both moving and distressing.”

She added that the arrangements established between UN agencies and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to pause military activity in the designated vaccination areas “have so far been respected”.

Humanitarians remain

Ms. Wosornu further noted that humanitarians – despite overwhelming challenges – remain on the ground, providing essential assistance, including food and shelter and protection, as best as they can.

Food rations are being distributed, albeit at reduced levels, with wheat flour prioritized only for the 14 bakeries supported by humanitarian actors.

Tents are also being distributed, though they are insufficient to match the needs of repeatedly displaced families, especially with the approaching cold and rainy weather.

Turn promises into reality

She urged the Security Council “to turn its promises into reality and end the suffering.”

“We once again appeal to Council Members and all Member States to achieve an immediate cessation of hostilities and a sustained ceasefire in Gaza, and to de-escalate the situation in the West Bank,” she urged.

“Resolutions passed by this Council promised an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. They also called for the release of hostages. Yet, months later, the violence continues, thousands more people have been killed, and hostages separated from their families.”