China envoy says UNSC resolution on Gaza aid access 'not materialized'
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The Chinese UN envoy warns of “tragic scenes on the ground” in Gaza and calls them “just the tip of the iceberg of the humanitarian catastrophe."
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Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, addresses members of the UN Security Council during a meeting on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, April 24, 2024. (AP)
Hunger in Gaza "cannot be weaponized," Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong said in a UN Security Council briefing on Tuesday, discussing the Strip's "humanitarian catastrophe" caused by "Israel's" nine-month bombardment.
“Hunger cannot be weaponized, humanitarian issues cannot be politicized, and the man-made exacerbation of the humanitarian disaster is unacceptable,” Cong said during the meeting.
UN Security Council resolution 2720, which calls for increased humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, has evidently failed to be implemented due to “Israel’s” lack of compliance with humanitarian law, he maintained.
Fu called on the occupation to abide by the international community’s demand to “fulfill its obligations,” urging Tel Aviv to take immediate actions "to ensure the rapid and safe entry of humanitarian supplies at scale into Gaza."
The Chinese ambassador also indirectly referenced the US as one of the reasons the resolution has not been effectively implemented, highlighting the need "to push for political will from the party concerned to effectively remove obstacles preventing the large-scale entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
Fu called for an immediate, permanent ceasefire and the establishment of a "two-state solution", which he emphasized is necessary to save innocent lives.
'Israel' is starving children in Gaza, UN agency warns
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has issued a warning, stating that insufficient aid is reaching Palestinians in Gaza, leading to a dire situation where children are facing starvation.
OCHA is urging "Israel" to adhere to international law by facilitating the safe passage of life-saving relief into the Gaza Strip.
“I would say they are certainly not getting the amount that they desperately need to prevent a famine, to prevent all kinds of horrors that we see. It’s very, very little that is going around at the moment,” OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said.
He emphasized that according to international humanitarian law, Israeli authorities are required to assist in the delivery of aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip.
When addressing inquiries regarding barriers to accessing aid, the OCHA spokesperson stated that such a duty “does not stop at the border. It does not stop when you drop off just a few meters across the border and then drive away and then leave it to humanitarians to drive through active combat zones – which they cannot do – to pick it up. So, to answer your question, no, the aid that is getting in, is not getting to the people.”
Laerke also emphasized that land crossings for aid convoys into Gaza are crucial, being "the only way to get [aid] in at scale and at speed." He highlighted the necessity for more of these land crossings to be open and safe to ensure aid can be delivered efficiently.
These statements coincide with a tragic incident where a 13-year-old Palestinian child Abdul Qader al-Sarahi tragically died due to starvation. The tragedy occurred following the closure of the Rafah border crossing by "Israel", obstructing humanitarian aid access.
