peace. But just as these words send the wrong message, so too do the words we're not hearing from this council. Why can some council members still not bring themselves to condemn Hamas' horrific terrorist attack on October 7th? Why have some council members stopped talking about the plight of the more than 100 hostages being held by Hamas? Are the fact that Hamas and Hispola continue to fire rockets on Israel? Roughly 250,000 Israelis are internally displaced because of these relentless attacks. And why have some council members refused to hold Hamas accountable for using civilians as human shields? We urge all member states to speak out and press Hamas and Hispola to do what is necessary to end the violence and displacement they have wrought. Colleagues, even as this council focuses on the conflict in Gaza, we must not turn our attention away from the West Bank, where there has been an unprecedented rise in violence in recent months. We've seen Palestinian extremist militants carry out attacks against Israeli civilians, carry out attacks against Israeli civilians. We unequivocally condemn these attacks, just as we unequivocally condemn attacks by Israeli extremist settlers that target Palestinians and their property and displaced entire communities. The United States strongly opposes the advancement of settlements in the West Bank, and we strongly oppose the violence that has come to characterize them. At their core, settlements undermine the geographic viability of a two-state solution, exacerbate tensions, and further harm trust between Israelis and Palestinians. At least 340 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israelis in the past three months. And I want to be clear, the United States will continue to respond to this escalating violence, including through our new visa restriction policy. Under this policy, we have taken steps to improve visa restrictions against individuals who are involved in or meaningfully contributing to the undermining of peace, security, or stability in the West Bank. But we know that this is just one piece of the broader picture, and we urge the Israeli government to prevent and investigate settler violence and hold extremists who perpetuate it to account. We also urge the Israeli government to exercise restraint in its operations in the West Bank by respecting civilian infrastructure, especially in refugee camps and minimizing civilian harm. Finally, we have long maintained that stability in the West Bank is dependent on PA security forces. That means the PA must make steps toward reform and revitalization, and it means Israel must release revenues that allow the PA to pay their security forces. Colleagues, at this profoundly difficult moment, the United States has stepped up to lead and to advance a vision for a lasting peace, where Israel is integrated into the region, and terrorist groups can no longer threaten Israel's security, where Palestinians realize their aspirations for a state of their own, and Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are unified under the Palestinian Authority, where Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in peace with equal measures of security, freedom, and dignity. This is the only way forward. This is the only way to end this terrible cycle of violence once and for all. The damning reality is that Israelis and Palestinians will forever be scarred by years and years of mistrust and fear and violence. But the generations that follow need not know this reality. So let us work together to sow the seeds of peace. That must be our charge. Thank you, Mr. President. I wish to thank the representative of the United States for that statement, and I now give a floor to the representative of the Russian Federation. President, we thank the Under-Secretary-General Martin Rebis and ASG, Ilsefran's carats for their assessment of the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip. The Russian Federation supported Algeria's initiative to convene today's Extraordinary Council meeting on the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone, focusing on the threat of the forced transfer of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, guided by the unlawfulness of these steps taken by West Jerusalem under international law. This is only part of the bloody puzzle that makes up the picture of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza. As of now, the enclave has seen 23,000 deaths. Preliminary figures alone point to over 7,500 children and 1,000 people are still buried under the ruins, given the pace and the power of the strikes in populated areas. Every day in Gaza, there are deaths and maimings of dozens of hundreds of Gossips. Civilian infrastructure, including medical sites, has practically destroyed the total blockade of the Gaza Strip, has led to an acute lack of water, fuel, and medications from the beginning of the conflict. Around 2 million people have been compelled to leave their homes. Half of them are women and children. Most of the internally displaced persons, or to be more precise, forcibly transferred persons, have found refuge in UNRWA institutions, which despite their status have continued to be subject to Israeli bombing. These people have been stripped of their homes, property livelihoods, and many are teetering on the brink of inevitable starvation. The ghastly humanitarian situation in Gaza demonstrates how catastrophic it could be to continue along the path of ignoring international law. The 7th of October attacks, of course, are recognizable. At the same time, these events cannot legitimize Israel's indiscriminate use of force in the Gaza Strip, especially because this form of carrying out hostilities, which is in fact becoming a collective punishment of the Palestinians, is linked with many gross violations of international human law. Moreover, the October 7th events should not be viewed in isolation from the long bloody history of Palestinian-Israeli confrontation, which has dragged on for several decades, and is linked with oppression, occupation, and many crimes against the Palestinian people. Against this backdrop, the UN Security Council has the achieved body for the maintenance of international peace and security has still failed to shoulder its direct mandate and adopt a resolution containing an unequivocal call to the parties to immediately implement a ceasefire. We regret to note that Security Council Resolution 2712 does not contain this key call that was due to U.S. opposition. So the practical significance of that resolution verges on nothing. Resolution 2720, we abstained, which we abstained upon the request of the Arab states under U.S. pressure, is saturated by highly dubious calls to create the condition for the secession of hostilities. I want to stress once more that we flatly oppose the content of the current OP2 of Resolution 272, and I want to say that the responsibility for the possible impact of that resolution lies with the states that gave their consent to its drafting, drafting, which was ramped through with the U.S. Mr. President, together with the constant indiscriminate bombings and targeted strikes on civilian objects, and to the disofer panic among civilians, we see the holistic strategy of West Jerusalem to forcibly displace the Palestinians. The logic here is a symbol making a life unbearable in Gaza even impossible, leaving civilians with an impossible choice, leaving their native lands or the ongoing violent expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank and from Gaza will inevitably shake the entire Middle East and North African region with the dire consequences of the world. The United Secretariat, headed by the Secretary General of the majority of, the overwhelming majority of the member states, have sounded the alarm condemning these steps by the Israeli leadership, and they are united and they're striving to take decisive action to prevent this mass violent deportation of Palestinians from their lands. The Israeli side is obligated to abide by the norms of international humanitarian law, specifically Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which directly bans the deportation and violent transfer of persons in online protection pursuant to Articles 23 and 59 of this Fourth Geneva Convention occupying powers. We have a special obligation to ensure that civilians have basic goods against that backdrop given a major concern is elicited by Israel's plans to flood the Gaza tunnels. According to basic estimates, we're talking about 100,300 corridors. They are 500 kilometers in length. They're going to be flooding them at 1.5 million cubic meters of water. I want to stress in particular that the impact of the contamination of this ground water, which is Gaza's only fresh water source, that these implications will continue for 100 years. Taking this step threatens a major environmental disaster, but it will also make the territory of the enclave unsuitable for life. These steps could be qualified as one element of genocide in accordance with Article 2C of the 1940 Convention on the Prevention of the Ground of Genocide and on its Punishment pursuant to rather complaints that have been lodged against Israel and the International Court of the UN by South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, the Camaras, and Djibouti. And this is in addition to what's happening, will be happening in the later half of February in the Hague. The hearing is under legal consequences of Israel's settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. Given this, can we count on an appropriate assessment of what is happening from bottom-paid forebodies such as the ICC? Even though we cannot, we have no illusions that the British prosecutor of the ICC, Karim Khan, will screw up his courage to oppose his Western backwards and their allies, because this party is intended to serve their political interests. There's similar inaction by the ICC that we've seen in connection with the war crimes of the U.S., Great Britain, and the satellites in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. After the investigation was not started, it was simply deprooritized. As for Israel, the head of ICC is acting in the same way. He's limiting himself to incoherent justifications and mentioning some previous calls for a stunning advance against his grim backdrop. What is striking are media reports of the idea of Israeli leadership that they're going to convince Arab-African and European countries to take in Palestinian refugees. And they want Arab monarchies to bankroll this transfer. The very effect of these leaks coupled with the ongoing provocative statements by the Israeli establishment, this provokes additional tensions and undermines the universal acknowledged international legal basis for an Israeli Palestinian peace process. The consistent erosion of which by Washington has led to the current explosion, now Russia's approach is unchanged. We want an immediate ceasefire. We want untrammeled, safe humanitarian access, release of hostages, and re-establishment of a political horizon for the Middle East peace process based on the two-state solution. President of the escalation in Gaza has continued for over 100 days with no sign of debating. Moreover, the U.S. and its allies have single-handedly triggered a spillover of the conflict to the entire region, having attacked yesterday in violation of Article 2 of the U.N. Charter and the people of Yemen. The council will be discussing this egregious situation a bit later in a separate briefing. Apparently, this effective bilateral diplomacy in the region were, to put it more simply, this arbitrary act. Apparently, this is what our American colleagues are referring to when they're saying that they are acting better than multilateral efforts to the subtleties of one chief conclusion. Without an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza, the Middle East risks plunging into an abyss of a full-fledged war but the direst of global repercussions. The U.N. Security Council is the obligation to, again, consider this matter forthwith. Thank you. I thank the representative of the Russian Federation for that statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Ecuador. Thank you, Mr. President. At the outset, I wish to thank the Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Marc-Tin Riples, and my host, I wish to thank the assistance of the General for Human Rights, Mr. Gilbrant Kerri, as I thank both for the somber reports that we've just heard. At the same time, I reiterate Ecuador's support for their work. More than a year ago, in his first statement, we made as non-permanent members of the Security Council, and they issued a delegation called for incendiary statements to stop such statements, exacerbate conflict and incite violence. Today, this meeting has been convened in view of the concern prompted over exactly such statements that are today being made in much more difficult circumstances. Mr. President, this council has been clear in rejecting the false displacement of the civilian population, including of children, in violation of international law, including of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. The council has done so twice in the last 60 days, in resolutions 27-12 and 27-20. In resolution 27-20, the Council underscored the fact that the Gaza Strip was an integral part of the territory occupied in 1967. It reiterated the desire to see a two-state solution under which the Gaza Strip forms part of the Palestinian government. It does speak out. Ecuador reiterates the fact that it agrees absolutely with what the council has said. We also include upon the need to achieve a peaceful, negotiated, definitive, and a solution of one which is just to both parties with the existence of two states, Palestine and Israel, on the basis of 1967, and on the basis of relevant resolutions. Mr. President, colleagues, in the last days, we have received a report from the Secretary-General on the implementation of resolution 27-12. That report clearly states that the provisions of that resolution are far from being of help. The report also makes it clear that the progress made for the both of that required. Events on the ground tell of incessant violence of more people being killed in Monday and of a humanitarian situation which is unsustainable and which is worsening day by day. Hamas hostages continue to be held. Hostage. This will be the population remains displaced and there is an increasing risk of the violence spreading to the wider region. Ultimately, we're seeing how regrettably the provisions of this council have a limited impact on reality. In light of that fact, we believe that they've taken it clear that now to humanitaries is by it is impossible to implement the provisions that have been adopted. However, we cannot lose hope. It is our duty to continue working and to do everything we can to ensure that the situation improves. As such, we welcome the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing by Israel. That has allowed humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip through a second location. Turning to Resolution 2720, we value the expeditious nature of the Secretary-General's appointment of Secretary-General as a senior humanitarian reconstruction coordinator. We wish her every success in her work and we hope to see the timely implementation of the U.N. mechanism for speeding of the provision of humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza over Resolution 2720 because of the creation of consistent conditions for a cessation of hostilities which is the scene of our in nature. We call for progress to be made on that path. To conclude, Mr. President and colleagues, I reiterate the fact that Ecuador condemned the treacherous terrorist acts perpetrated by the man who became on the 7th of October in dense sexual violence and all acts of violence perpetrated against civilians. I reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional reliefs of all hostilities. Meanwhile, we must guarantee humanitarian access to meet their medical needs as demanded by Resolution 2712 and 2720. Thank you. I thank the representative of Ecuador for that statement and now I will go to the representative of the United Kingdom. Thank you, President, and I join others in thanking Under Secretary-General Griffiths and Assistant Secretary Brands-Karris for their briefings today. President, I have three points to make today. Firstly, the UK firmly rejects any proposal that Palestinians should be resettled outside Gaza, including proposals from members of the Israeli government. Our views and concerns are shared by our allies and partners that Gazans should not be subject to forcible displacement or relocation from Gaza. Second, the UK is alarmed by record levels of extremist settler violence in the occupied Palestinian territories and its devastating impact. According to Ocha, since the 7th of October, at least 198 Palestinian households, including 586 children, have been displaced following an increase in extremist settler violence and access restrictions. We call on the government of Israel not only to condemn settler violence but also to take direct action against those responsible for it and hold them accountable and ensure that Palestinian civilians are protected. We also continue to call on Israel to cease immediately all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and its lower aqueduct, and to respect in their absolute entirety all legal obligations. We reiterate our long-standing position that settlements are illegal under international law and that settlement expansions hinder us from creating the conditions for a durable peace in Israel, the West Bank, and across all the occupied Palestinian territories. Third, the UK is intensely focused on ensuring more aid gets into Gaza. The current levels are woefully inadequate for the deepening humanitarian crisis. We're deeply concerned that the World Food Programme is reporting that 9 out of 10 families are going with less than one meal a day. We want to see a ceasefire but this must be a sustainable ceasefire, one that will last. A sustainable ceasefire means one in which Hamas no longer poses a threat to Israel's security. Aid is delivered without hindrance and Palestinians can return to the areas of Gaza from which they have been displaced. Ahead of a permanent ceasefire, we want to see immediate and sustained humanitarian pauses. This will allow for hostages to be released and more aid to enter Gaza. In accordance with Security Council Resolution 2720, we call on Israel to allow for higher volumes of humanitarian aid through as many routes as possible. In conclusion, Mr President, we call again for the release of hostages taken on the 7th of October for measures to allow humanitarian aid in to meet the desperate humanitarian need in Gaza, for a sustainable ceasefire with a political horizon towards a two-state solution. And we remain committed to working with Israelis, Palestinians, and all parties in the region and beyond to make this a reality. I thank you. Thank you, Mr President. Mr President, I thank Algeria for the initiative to hold this meeting and USG briefings and ASG carries for their briefings. Nearly 100 days into the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, more than 23,000 people in Gaza and over 200 UN personnel and journalists have lost their lives. 90 percent of the population of Gaza has been displaced. More than 60 percent of homes have been destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people are struggling to survive in mixed shift attempts. All of these are not just the code numbers, but the loss of human lives and the suffering that he's experienced on a daily basis. Today in the 21st century, the records that keep getting broken are none other than those of war and their death tolls.  An immediate ceasefire has become the overwhelming call of the international community, and a permanent member of the Security Council has been using various excuses to veto consensus on this issue in the Security Council. This is a blatant contempt of international fairness and justice and the authority of the Security Council. Some people have constantly talked about the protection of human rights and the prevention of genocide. While in the face of the appalling situation in Gaza, they have played dumb, kept stonewalling and attempted to deflect attention. This is downright double standards. It is imperative that we remove all the interference and take robust action to end the fighting, save lives, and restore peace. First, any forced displacement of the Palestinian people must be firmly rejected. Gaza is the homeland of the Palestinian people. Over the past three months, over a million people have been forced to relocate again and again, but in the face of the constant threats of death, they have nowhere to hide and nowhere to flee. Some Israeli critical figures have called for voluntary emigration from Gaza, over which we express our grave concern. That would mean driving two million populations out of Gaza and turning Gaza into a so-called safe zone devoid of human habitation. If put into practice such a horrific idea would constitute atrocity crimes under international law and would completely destroy the prospect of the two-state solution. We have taken note of some statements and the clarifications made by Israel in this regard, but on this issue, while what is said is important, what is done is even more important. We are paying close attention to Israel's declared intentions while at the same time paying more attention to its serious consequences in reality. Secondly, all measures must be taken to alleviate the humanitarian disaster. At present, access to humanitarian supplies is extremely limited. Food, medicine and other essential supplies are extremely scarce. Disease and hunger are spreading in Gaza. And social order is on the verge of collapse. Secretary General Guterres has repeatedly emphasized that conditions for delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza do not exist under gunfire. It is Israel that has continued its indiscriminate bombardment against Gaza and has placed numerous obstacles to blocking access to humanitarian supplies. But it is also Israel that has accused the United Nations of not having the will and ability to provide humanitarian assistance. This is totally unacceptable. Security Council resolutions 27-12 and 27-20 must be fully implemented. Israel must fulfill its obligations as the occupying power, ensure the safety of humanitarian workers, and provide full cooperation in humanitarian relief efforts. China welcomes the concrete proposals by Secretary General Guterres on the implementation of the resolution 27-12 and the appointment of Mies Tagg as UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza. China supports further action by the Security Council to clear obstacles to the safe, rapid, and unimpeded entry of sufficient humanitarian supplies into Gaza. Certainly, ceasefire must be promoted with the utmost urgency. Only a ceasefire can prevent greater civilian casualties and humanitarian disasters and create conditions for the early release of all hostages. Only a ceasefire can prevent the foundation of the two-state solution from being completely destroyed, and only a ceasefire can prevent the entire Middle East region from being devoured by a calamity. However, it is worrying that, instead of seeing the prospect of an immediate ceasefire, the situation is heading towards the expansion of the conflict. We urge the international community, especially countries, with major influence to make the realization of a ceasefire the overriding urgent task. We call Israel to reverse course immediately, and stop its indiscriminate military attacks on and the destruction of Gaza. In the West Bank, Israel should effectively curb settler violence, and stop the searches arrests and raids against the Palestinians. Israel should transfer cease the tax revenue to the Palestinian national authority as soon as possible. We are concerned about the spillover effects of the Gaza conflict on the situation in the Red Sea. The military action launched by the U.S. and the UK against the Yemen will undoubtedly exacerbate regional tensions. We call all parties to effectively abide by the UN Charter and the International Law, and to make joint efforts to maintain peace and security in the Red Sea and the Middle East. Thank you, President. Thank you, President. I also thank on the Secretary-General Griffiths and Assistant Secretary-General Bruns Harris for their most pertinent briefings. At the outset, we must stress that the catastrophic situation in Gaza is causing immense levels of deaths, suffering, and displacement amongst the civilian population. Millions of civilians are enduring the deprivation of basic necessities, leading to a staggering loss of life. This plight is no more tragic than when one considers the humanitarian consequences this has on women and children who suffer disproportionately from food and security, malnutrition, and the crippling healthcare system. We reiterate that there is an urgent need to genuinely facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into and within Gaza, including through the opening of additional crossing points. Furthermore, all arbitrary bureaucratic impediments to humanitarian operations must seize. Equally fundamental is the need to ensure and to assure and safeguard the safety of UN and humanitarian workers, including the security of their premises. The rising debt toll amongst humanitarian, Palestinian, Red Crescent Society and UNRAS staff is unacceptable. Within this context, multi-course for the immediate and full implementation of Security Council resolutions 2712 and 2720. We look forward to working with the newly appointed humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza Ms Sigrid Karg towards ensuring this. President, we must also not forget the plight of those hostages still held by Hamas and Gaza. In accordance with resolution 2712, multi-course for the immediate and safe release of the remaining hostages. We unreservedly condemn the Hamas terror attacks of 7th October, including the recurring rocket fire into Israeli territory and further denounce any acts of sexual violence committed. Walter emphasises the utmost importance of adhering to international humanitarian law and accountability for those who violate it. It is imperative that all parties take the necessary measures to save God's civilians and protect civilian infrastructure. Likewise, attacks on religious sites and individuals seeking refuge within them are unacceptable, as are any deliberate targeting of journalists in the conflict. President, we remain convinced of the need for an urgent cessation of hostilities. The establishment of a humanitarian ceasefire is the only way through which a meaningful and effective humanitarian response throughout the entirety of Gaza can be mounted. This cessation of hostilities is also critical within the context of the displacement of the Palestinian people. Palestinians in Gaza must be allowed to return to their homes or provided with adequate and safe shelter until their homes are rebuilt. The forced displacement of populations and the transfer of populations from occupied territory is a grave violation of international law and the war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention. We reject any attempts regarding the forced or coercive transfer of Palestinian people out of Gaza. Statements to this effect from figures within the Israeli government are deeply regrettable. We are also deeply concerned that in the past weeks we have witnessed a resurgence of forced transfer of Palestinian communities linked to demolitions, illegal settler encroachment and violence in the West Bank. More to strong new stresses that settlements violate international law, obstruct peace and threaten the viability of an independent, contiguous Palestinian state. Israeli settler violence is unacceptable and must be addressed without impunity. Such action also inflame tensions and risk for a furthest below of the conflict. All parties must mitigate any threats which inflame regional tensions including escalations on the blue line and then the red sea. The universal norms of international law must be respected on all fronts. A fundamental recommitment to political dialogue which is based on the realization of a two-state solution has never been more essential. Water reiterates its conviction that the only viable path to achieving peace lies within the internationally agreed parameters of the two-state solution along the pre-1967 borders addressing the legitimate aspirations of both sides with Jerusalem as a future capital of two states living side by side in peace and security. Thank you. I now give the floor to the representative of Japan. Thank you, Mr. President. I thank USG Griffith and the ASG branch cadres for their valuable briefings. Mr. President, three months have passed since the heinous acts of terror were committed by Hamas and other militant groups. Since then, Gaza has been under heavy bombardments and relentless shilling, making Gaza as one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes witnessed today. The extent of the suffering in Gaza is unimaginable. At least 23,000 Palestinians have been reported to be killed in Gaza, including a heart-breaking loss of over 10,000 children. Over 85% of the population across the Gaza Strip have been displaced. Critical civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and UN shelters, have not been spared from attacks. Farming is imminent and those internally displaced are at high risk of communicable diseases due to extremely poor living conditions. Humanity is in crisis. The international community must continue to work with a greater sense of urgency towards alleviating the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. We fully support the recent appointed UN senior coordinator with cigarette CAG and her staff to descend. While the Security Council adopted Resolution 2712 and 2720, regrettably their effective implementation remains elusive due to the ongoing heavy fighting. As violent regional spillovers already happening, what is most urgent is the de-escalation of the conflict. In this regard, our position is clear as shown in our voting positions in relevant resolutions, including the UNGA Resolution adopted on December 12th last year. We would also like to emphasize once again the hostages held by Hamas and other militant groups must be released immediately and unconditionally to create better conditions towards easing tensions. Mr. President, Japan is concerned about the recent inflammatory rhetoric by Israeli ministers on the quote resettlement and quote of Palestinians outside of the Gaza Strip. Any attempt to forcibly displace the Palestinian people is inconsistent with the relevant Security Council resolutions and in violation of international including international humanitarian law and human rights law, we reject any such forced displacement. We also stress the need to create conditions to enable displaced Palestinians in Gaza to return safely to their homes. In this regard, we note recent reports that Israel has agreed to allow the UN to carry out an assessment mission in northern Gaza. We should create a conducive environment where the residents can return safely to their homes. In conclusion, Japan will continue to exert its utmost efforts to contribute the escalation of this conflict within and beyond Gaza. A two-state solution remains the only viable path for both Israel and the future independent Palestinian state, which must include the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to live side by side in future feats on security. I thank you, President. I thank the representative of Japan for that statement. I now give a floor to the representative of Slovenia. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I also would like to thank Undersecretary General Griffith and Assistant Secretary Branskeris for their very sober and yet very clear briefings. Looking at the situation in Gaza and the broader Middle East region, we believe it is high time to reflect on our responsibility as the Council. Slovenia shares the concerns of briefers regarding the several recent statements by members of the Israeli government proposing mass displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and we strongly reject them. Any displacement of the Palestinian population from Gaza would constitute a grave breach of international material law amounting to a war crime. We condemn such statements which are only escalating tensions. Secondly, we are appalled by the current conditions in which internally displaced people of Gaza are living. 85 percent of Gaza's population is displaced. Military operations, including indiscriminate bombardment, are forcing people to flee over and over again. As the recent report of the Secretary General has outlined, Gaza is facing widespread death and destruction. Family looms rampant. There is an evolving public health catastrophe with children, pregnant women, and older, among those most at risk. There is a dire need to scale up humanitarian aid and allow rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian assistance. In this regard, we welcome the appointment of Ms. Sigrid Kaak as a senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza and stand ready to support her. Throughout the conflict, we have repeatedly called for full respect of international humanitarian law and human rights law. I would like to voice our concern over the gray violations we are witnessing in Gaza. All the reports we are receiving on the humanitarian situation demonstrate that Gaza is uninhabitable. People have been seeking shelter at hospitals and UNRWA facilities which are overcrowded and without adequate sanitation facilities. And even those have been bombed. Civilians have been sheltering in the so-called safe zones which have been bombed as well. Mr. President, the bottom line is that no place in Gaza is safe. So where will these people return? We are talking about whole neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Roads and infrastructure related to water electricity switch, the most basic infrastructure has been damaged. Hospitals, religious sites, schools, museums, the Asian port of Gaza and more destroyed. Of course, we are aware of Hamas using some civilian infrastructure to continue its attacks on Israel. Of course, we are aware of the brutality of the October 7 attack on Israeli civilians. We are deeply concerned by the information about sexual violence by Hamas which needs to be investigated and addressed. And we are calling on Hamas to immediately release all hostages so they can return to their families. But that cannot and does not justify destroying disproportionately civilian infrastructure and life in Gaza. Condemning the statements on displacement is not enough. We need to prevent actions leading to displacements. Displacement does not necessarily be a forced one that could happen because of Palestinians not having anywhere to return. This brings me to my last point, Mr. President. Before we can enable the UN to deliver enough humanitarian assistance to people of Gaza, before we can start creating conditions for a safe return, we need to demand an immediate ceasefire, a ceasefire that would stop destruction of Gaza, that would return the hostages and that would help us calm the region. Thank you. I thank the representative of Slovenia for his statement and I know the floor would be representative of Sierra Leone. Thank you, Mr. President. I thank you for convening this meeting. Let me also thank USG, Mr. Martin Griffin and ASG, Ms. Ilza Brand's case for the important briefing. Mr. President, when Sierra Leone first addressed this agenda item, the situation in the Middle East, in the Security Council in May 1970, our representative stated that the plight of the Palestinian refugees is great. Development and progress are a matter of urgency for both Arabs and Jews. Surely, it is in the interest of mankind that we should all seek passionately and persistently a way towards peace and allow the process of conciliation and reconciliation. More than half a century later, we are convened in this chamber to address the threats of forced displacement of Palestinian in Gaza in the context of the continuing occupation by Israel of the Palestinian territories. And the escalation following the 7th of October 2023, heinous attacks by Hamas. Sierra Leone has and continues to condemn in the stronger times the heinous attack against its religious civilians by Hamas and the taking of hostages. Sierra Leone emphasises a call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Noting that the taking of hostages is a serious breach of international law, we also strongly condemn attacks on civilians, Palestinian civilians and civilian infrastructure. The practice of collective punishment and forced displacement of Palestinian people. As reported by the Secretary-General, 1.9 million Palestinians are internally displaced and are mostly sheltering in or around the vicinity of Honorar installations in Gaza. We reject any attempt to remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip or the West Bank either temporarily or for a long time period. We deeply reject the unacceptable high human cost with the report of the killings of about 23,000 Palestinian civilians since the 7th of October 2023 with women and children being the most affected. We regret the ultimate cost being paid by U.N. and other humanitarian workers and journalists. So, I alone call for accountability for all those responsible for violations of international law, in particular international humanitarian law and those crimes of serious concern to the international community. Mr. President, in the past three months, we've witnessed a situation that has become increasingly precarious leading to the breakdown of systems, loss of lives, and destruction of civilian infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. A situation that has deepened the complexity of the Middle East Palestinian question with ramifications for regional escalation. We note with great concern the severe humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Due to the continuous violence and denial of access to life-saving humanitarian aid at the scale and means necessary. We call on all parties to comply with this council's resolutions 27-12, 27-20, and the obligations on the international law to allow for rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to the civilians in need. So, I alone call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, which in our view will bring an end to the atrocities. Reduce regional tensions and allow for the consolidation of ongoing humanitarian aid efforts by the United Nations and other international partners geared towards having an effective humanitarian aid operation in the Gaza Strip. In closing, Sierra Leone reiterated its call for political and diplomatic efforts to facilitate the two-state solution that will ensure Israel and Palestine live side-by-side in long-lasting peace and security. I thank you. I thank the representative of Sierra Leone for that statement. And I'll give the floor to the representative of the Republic of Korea. Thank you, Mr. President. I also join in thanking Undersecretary General Martin Griffith and Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights, Ilza Karith, for their briefing today. More than three months have now passed since the horrendous terrorist attacks by Hamas on the 7th of October. Which we condemn in the strongest terms since then hostilities have been ongoing in Gaza and Israel and the consequences are extremely alarming. USG Martin Griffith last week characterized the situation on the ground. The Gaza has become a place of death and despair. Civilians in Gaza, including women and children, have no safe place as even hospitals are being besieged by military operations and airstrikes. Today, USG Martin Griffith briefed to the members of the Secret Council that there has been barely been any improvement on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, despite adoption of Resolution 2712 and 2720. In his alarming letter to Council last week, Secretary General Kutres also detailed that the level of aid to Palestinian in Gaza is completely inadequate for two million people as widespread famine looms. Mr. President's more sustainable humanitarian pauses that can lead to a sustainable cessation of hostilities are of utmost importance. Based on these delivery of critical humanitarian aid must be expanded and expedited. Countless trucks with humanitarian aids from numerous countries are lining up, waiting for their turn to enter Gaza, which myself witness in my trip to Rafa crossing. Mr. President, the Palestinian people's right to leave on their own land must be guaranteed. Individual or a mass forcible transfer of Palestinian outside Palestine, including the Gaza Strip, is simply not acceptable. In this regard, we have deep concerns over Israeli high-level officials commenced suggesting mass displacements were the so-called voluntary migration of Palestinians out of Gaza. We are also extremely alarmed by this inflammatory remarks by various Israeli ministers that Israel must resettle the Gaza Strip. Security Council Resolution 2334, adopted in 2016, clearly condemns all measures in that altering demographic composition, character, and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including the transfer of Israeli settlers and the displacement of Palestinian civilians. Any subject is in violation of international humanitarian law and relevant Security Council resolutions. All settlement activities must be ceased, and Gaza must not be resettled. Resolution 2334 also calls upon the parties referring from provocative actions, incitement, and inflammatory rhetoric. The rhetoric of high-level Israel officials, including multiple ministers, when the possible forced displacement of Palestinians does not in any way help to ease the tension that is widespread all around the Middle East. Mr. President, we all know and every member in this Chamber keep affirming that the only possible way to stop the cycle of violence is through the realization of the state solution, with both Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side in peace, within secure and recognized borders, consistent with international law, and the relevant UN resolutions. Any acts or statements that hinder the realization of this aspiration of the world must stop immediately. I thank you, Mr. President. I thank the representative of the Republic of Korea for that statement. I now give the floor to the representative of Guyana. Thank you, Mr. President. And I express my appreciation to Under Secretary-General Martin Griffiths and Assistant Secretary-General Elise Brands-Carys for their sobering and informative briefing. Mr. President, Guyana is deeply concerned about the forced displacement of the population in Gaza since 7th of October. We take note that many Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced multiple times within the territory. We are now alarmed at the statements emanating from certain officials suggesting that the Palestinian people in Gaza should be forcibly transferred out of the territory, the countries in the region and elsewhere. Guyana rejects these proposals and calls on this council to do all within its power to protect the Palestinian population in Gaza from such a plight reminiscent of 1948. We must condemn in no uncertain terms these and all other suggestions which purport to violate international law sending a strong message to the authors of these suggestions that they cannot carry out such actions unopposed. Mr. President, the displacement of the population in Gaza is distressing to Guyana on two fronts. First, the circumstances under which people have been uprooted from their homes and livelihoods have created a catastrophic humanitarian situation involving disease, destruction, danger and death. Palestinian men, women and children have been herded into smaller and smaller spaces in the Gaza Strip and forced to eke out an existence in the most inhumane conditions and without an adequate supply of food, water, medicine, fuel and other basic items essential for survival. Social services, including the delivery of quality education and healthcare have been severely disruptive. Women are unable to give birth a most sacred experience in a safe environment. There is acute food insecurity sparking legitimate concerns about mass starvation and death as famine looms. As if these conditions were not bad enough, these displaced persons live with the constant threat of bombs and bullets destroying or maiming them and their loved ones. Mr. President, the second element of concern to Guyana particularly if there are mass force transfers outside of Gaza relates to the implications for the two state solution. The prospects for a Palestinian state cannot be divorced from the necessity of the Palestinian people inhabiting the territory that pertains to them. Forcibly removing Palestinians from Gaza undermines these prospects and coupled with an expanding settler policy in the West Bank leaves no doubt about the likely faith of the two state solution. In this context Guyana underscores the importance of advancing the implementation of Security Council resolutions<PHONE_NUMBER> and other relevant resolutions for realization of this two state solution. Mr. President, we must tackle these issues frontally. Guyana was encouraged by the earlier public assurances from the Israeli government that it has no intention of displacing the civilian population of Gaza. But pronouncements by some Israeli officials give reason for real worry. Israel's actions must be in tandem with their earlier assurances. The first and most critical step at this stage, Mr. President, is a cessation of all hostilities and immediate ceasefire. Outside of this, displacement will continue because people will have to keep moving in the hope of finding safety somewhere in the hell that is Gaza right now. Mr. President, Guyana wants to partner with the Council and the international community to end the indignity that the people of Gaza are enduring. We are prepared to work hard with everyone to end this war and to rebuild and reconstruct lives. Most importantly, we are prepared, as we have always been, to work with everyone to find a path to advance the two-state solution. Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve lasting peace and security. I thank you. I thank the representative of Guyana for that statement I now give the floor to the representative of Mozambique. Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, I wish to thank the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria for calling this briefing on the humanitarian situation in Gaza with particular focus on the forced displacement of the Palestinian people. We also thank the briefers, Mr. Martin Griffith and the Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator and Ms. Ilz Bransker as Assistant Secretary for Human Rights for their assessment on the situation in Gaza. Mr. President, after three months of war, the situation in Gaza is dire. With endless death, forced relocations and paralleled health catastrophe, famine and no prospect or hope for Gaza. Forced displacement and limits on humanitarian aid are not acceptable. Innocent civilians are those who suffer the most. It is our duty to uphold respect and dignity. In fact, the United Nations has reported that the Gaza Strip continues to suffer from intense bombardments that have caused immense casualties and destruction of vital civilian infrastructure creating a total crisis. These actions violate the international humanitarian law, human rights law and the Geneva Convention on displaced persons. The peak of regional escalation of the conflict in the Middle East has reached the highest level. It is therefore imperative that these conflicts cease immediately before the consequence spread any further or it will be too late to stop and limit its repercussions. As council members, we have an obligation to ensure moderation and restraint. International conflict laws must take precedence over these actions and all actors must halt violence and military operations. An immediate ceasefire is our best hope as it would allow humanitarian access under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2712 and 2720. And most importantly, it would potentially enable negotiation toward peace. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Filippo Gandhi, and I quote, Resolve and forced displacement is not only a moral or humanitarian imperative but also deals with issues at the heart of the Security Council's mandate to maintain international peace and security. End of quote. Finally, Mr. President, in order to resolve the Gaza crisis, Mozambique called upon all parties to exercise maximum restraint and return to dialogue before the situation deteriorates irreparably. In this vein, Mozambique continues to hold the view of a two-state Palestine and Israel coexisting peacefully in accordance with the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly relevant resolutions. I thank you, Mr. President. I thank the representative of Mozambique for that statement, and I'll give the floor to the representative of Switzerland. President, I thank you for convening this meeting. And I thank you, Mark Griffiths, and Mr. Frank Harris, for your briefings. Your analysis of the situation is unequivocal. The guns, the false silent if we want to stop the conflict from spreading and if we want to stop the civilian and the liberation from the suffering and if we want to facilitate humanitarian access and the needs of hostages. This is why Switzerland is calling to take all measures to immediately allow safe and unhindered and expanded humanitarian access and to establish a sustained humanitarian emergency supply. The unjustifiable acts of terror committed by Hamas on the 7th of October is the number of victims and nearly 1,200 of the violence particularly sexual violence suffered by many young women and girls as well as the hostage-taking were taken. We have firmly and unequivocally we reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages still helping Gaza. We continue to attach great importance to the right of each state to ensure its own security and the duty to protect its population and that today we observe an alarming increase since that day we have witnessed an alarming increase in the level of violence in southern Middle East and in Gaza more than 2,400 people have been killed and more than 59,600 have been injured according to UNESCO. Three months later there is no end in sight as our responsibility is members of this Council responsible for ensuring international peace and security to reverse this trend. The continuation of the fund is not only threatens to de-state what the entire region but also jeopardizes the very foundations of the international system based on the law and the fundamental principles of the fund. And three months the Gaza Strip has become unenappled and in the words of the Secretary General no one is safe there as we speak 85% of the population of Gaza including many families with children have been forced to flee. 1.4 million people are now stranded to 155 overcrowded and inadequately equipped on-raw structures. Therefore Switzerland rejects and condemns all statements aimed at expelling civilians from the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza. Switzerland recalls as a Geneva Convention prohibit the forced transfer of populations which can't trans or which can't constitute war crimes. We call on the leaders of all parties to refrain from any unilateral measures provocative acts or inclementary statements particularly those that may constitute a violation of the international law in disurgent and negotiated by some turning point out of this crisis which threatens the peace and security of the Palestinian, the entire region and far beyond to this end the full implementation of capsule resolutions in 2712 and 2720 is essential. There is an opportunity to increase the flow of international aid into Gaza ensuring rapid safe and unended access in accordance with international humanitarian law. The status quo is untenable for civilians. They are under a serious threat from the continuing intense hostilities in the shortage of all goods and services essential to their survival cause of famine which is already affecting half of the entire world. In this regard, the Swiss recalls the utilisation of the force that the use of starvation as a method of warfare is strictly inhibited by international humanitarian law and it may constitute a war crime in addition all violations in international law committed in Israel and throughout the occupied Palestinian territory and must be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice before the relevant bodies to this end the international court is currently conducting an investigation into the situation in occupied Palestinian territory covering the events of the 7th of October and those currently taking place in Gaza and the West Bank. President, the search for a two-state political solution which the council has advocated for here is imperative the conditions must be prepared to rebuild Gaza as an integral part of the future Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel in peace with and secure and recognized I thank you I thank the representative of Switzerland for that statement I shall now make a statement in my capacity as the representative of France I thank Mr. Griffiths and Ms. Bramsker for their meetings as has been stated by the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron we must strive immediately to bring about a lasting ceasefire with the assistance of all regional and international partners it is vital to do that to facilitate the delivery of more humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza must remove obstacles to the guaranteeing humanitarian access and to allow the full implementation of resolutions 27-12 and 27-20 France will continue to provide humanitarian material aid development the civilian population in the Gaza Strip we welcome the work of UNRWA and of all humanitarian personnel France calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages this council must condemn the attacks perpetrated by Hamas and other terrorist groups on the 7th of October including sexual violence France will continue its work to impose sanctions against Hamas at a European level on a political level France will continue to hold for the two-state solution with both states having to use them as their capital that is the only solution which will make it possible to bring about the changes that have been made to the rest of the region will continue to use discussions with the stakeholders in the region to achieve that goal we must work to build a state for the Palestinian people the Palestinian authority has a pivotal role to play in that process in the West Bank and in Gaza which is destined to become part of that Palestinian state this council recalled in its resolution 27-12 that the first displacement of civilians was counter to international law Moreover, France condemns the policy settlement that is illegal and is a major impediment to the two-state solution is vital to put an end to settler violence in the West Bank Finally, it is of the utmost importance to avoid the regional common migration ensuring stability in Lebanon and the region requires absolute adherence to resolution 17-01 by all parties France staunchly condemns the Houthi attack against commercial vessels in the Red Sea these undermine navigational rights and freedoms we will continue to shoulder our responsibilities to contribute to maritime security in the region I thank you I now resume my function as president of the council and I now give the floor to the permanent observer of the observer state of Palestine Mr President I want to be at the outset I would like to express our thanks to our president of country Algeria for calling for this meeting allow me to thank the briefers USG Mr Griffith and ASG Ms. Curris for their statements but more importantly for the relentless efforts of the United Nations to uphold its mandate in circumstances made deliberately impossible allow me also before delivering my statement to make two remarks first we thank South Africa for its moral leadership with the case it presented before the ICJ yesterday against Israel for genocide we advise those who were unable until now to even say that Israel has committed grave breaches of international law let alone hold Israel accountable to avoid claiming some legal or moral authority to criticize South Africa for seizing the highest judicial body of our international law based order to address one of the most important situations of our time the lesson of the Holocaust is not that you should defend Israel when it is committing atrocities but rather that one should stand against atrocities regardless of who commit them and who endure them second the best way to avoid regional escalation is not the threat or use of more fire but action for an immediate ceasefire I have to say one would have hope that saving Palestinian children's lives would be met with the same urgency to act and to provide protection granted to shipping lanes Mr. President it took 75 years for the United Nations to finally recognize the Nakba instead of seeing the Nakba end our people are yet again confronted with large-scale massacres aimed at forcibly displacing them this is a Nakba that the world is watching unfold before our eyes I am from the generation born with the Nakba with its massacres its tents and its hardships I never thought I would see it happen again in my lifetime 70 percent of Palestinians in Gaza are already refugees who were denied their right of return for decades now many of the people in Gaza have had their homes destroyed in previous assaults Palestinians in Gaza today mourn their loved ones and mourn their homes that they built and rebuilt for themselves and their families they mourn their city they mourn the Gaza Strip as all its lands lands marks have been destroyed every place people had happy memories it has been disfigured now every corner is filled with agony and death and suffering in 100 days virtually every Palestinian in Gaza has been displaced multiple times from a home to a UN shelter to attend searching for safety everywhere finding safety nowhere searching for life anywhere met by death everywhere Israel has deliberately destroyed everything it killed and maimed our children our doctors our journalists our engineers our poets our academics it destroyed the very requirement of life and of a life in Gaza no homes to live in no schools or universities to study no hospitals to heal no mosques or churches to worship no agricultural land to farm no bakeries for bread no drinkable water no markets to buy from no safety no future and as Mr. Griffith said correctly no safe place in the Gaza Strip it was hoping Palestinians would leave under the pressure of its bombardments they have not now it is hoping they will leave because of the destruction the bombs have left behind Palestinians are traumatized by the Nakba they have laid even deeper roots in the hope of preventing it from reoccurring but it is unjust that their lives should be held on earth just because they refuse to leave their homeland our people have a simple dream to live in freedom and dignity on their land this is their right and yet they keep being stripped away from it for decades now Mr. President the Secretary General was unequivocal in his report and his statements to gather with the entirety of the UN system saving civilian lives allowing humanitarian access and aid preventing famine and stopping the spread of infectious diseases and preventing regional escalation all require an immediate humanitarian ceasefire you cannot do any of these things without immediate ceasefire if you want to send humanitarian assistance up to scale if you want to prevent the forced displacement if you want an army of humanitarian officers from the United Nations to be able to deliver humanitarian assistance to every corner in the Gaza Strip you cannot do it without a ceasefire the SG is correct Mr. Griffith is correct and all those who believe in that are correct and we thank you for the unanimous decision or position of rejecting displace forced displacement we acknowledge that we appreciate that and we thank you also for the unanimous position of asking for humanitarian aid to be up to scale as the SG requested and we thank you for that what you are not unanimously agreeing to is the requirement to do it the guarantee to do it which is calling for a ceasefire and for a ceasefire now and we hope that soon that you will become unanimous in that decision to call for a ceasefire instead mass killings of Palestinians by Israel continue death is everywhere now it has new shapes new names as starvation dehydration disease are spreading like wildfire this is not a consequence of a war but an israeli made humanitarian catastrophe Israeli confession or denials are irrelevant their actions speak louder enough and action speaks louder than words Israel wants the Palestinian people to choose between destruction and displacement between genocide and ethnic cleansing you need to act now to stop the genocide underway to save lives to put an end to this carnage and to restore life in Gaza and our people will have to figure out how to live with such loss pain suffering and trauma with how to live without their loved ones or without limbs or with visible and invisible scars Mr. President there has always been two visions about how to end this conflict live and let live uphold international law end the occupation fulfill Palestinian rights and achieve just and lasting peace based on UN resolutions that is the international consensus and another vision a supremacist racist criminal and delugional vision that somehow this conflict could end by Palestinians accepting that they have only three options death exodus or subjugation this incessant incessant attacks against Palestinian communities in the West Bank including East Jerusalem to force them to live also stem from that same logic the one that denies Palestinian existence Palestinian rights and Palestinian statehood the one that considers that the solution is not ending the Nakba but taking taking it to its term the international position is clear there is not a people too many in our region there is a missing independent state act accordingly protect the Palestinian people and support the independence of the Palestinian state Mr. President the Palestinian people are here to stay we are as old as our Roman olive trees they have a right to live in freedom and dignity in their ancestral land this is the only path towards shared peace and security all those who want to see shared peace and security should not spread fire they must support an immediate ceasefire and support it right now I thank you Mr. President I thank the permanent observer of the observer said how was that before he came thank you Mr. President distinguished council members this is the second security council meeting this week on the situation in Gaza and the 21st meeting the 21st meeting on the subject since October 7 over the same period three general assembly sessions were convened two security council resolutions were adopted as well as two general assembly resolutions sadly not a single one of these resolutions condemned Hamas for their heinous massacre of 1300 Israelis and for taking 240 hostages nearly 100 days have passed nearly 100 days of 136 children women and elderly being held in dark Hamas terror tunnels and still not a single discussion here was dedicated to advance their release not even one 100 days for heaven's sake 100 days and not once has this council convened in order to focus on freeing the hostages little baby Phil Bebas is about to mark his first birthday a quarter of his life spent as a hostage in the hands of rapists and murderers and the council has taken no action to secure his release 100 days and Hamas has not even permitted the Red Cross to visit the hostages this is the most heinous war crime and what has this council done but colleagues these are all symptoms of the same cancer that is rotting this institution for years the United Nations has been exploited by dictators and human rights abusers and today it has become another weapon in the arsenal of terrorists the UN has lost all moral credibility 98 days after the most widespread massacre of Jews since the Holocaust it has become evidently clear that the United Nations can only unite on one thing the demonization of Israel 76 years ago here at the UN there was a moment of justice and morality when the General Assembly adopted the partition plan establishing the Jewish state establishing an Arab state Israel as you probably remember immediately accepted the resolution and established a thriving state democracy the Palestinians on the other hand rejected the resolution and from that moment on for the past 76 years they have used every means every means to annihilate us including the use of the UN as a weapon they called their failure to commit a genocide against the Jewish people the Nakba you heard it today council members there is not one single UN body that has remained untainted by politicized anti-Israel bias every UN body has become weaponized against Israel by the Palestinians and their automatic anti-Israel majority just look at this meeting the Arab League representative on the council found it crucial to discuss the forced displacement of Gazans in the same week that Gaza was already discussed here in depth and in the General Assembly first let me be very clear there is no forced displacement as Israel's prime minister said two days ago Israel has no intention of displacing the population in Gaza Israel is solely fighting Hamas terrorists whose core strategy is to use Gazan civilians as human shields and who have converted every inch of Gaza to a terror war machine to ensure that October 7th never happens again Israel must eliminate Hamas you all know it yet Hamas has embedded itself in and under civilian infrastructure there is hardly one home in Gaza that weapon were not found so in order to mitigate civilian casualties Israel requested the temporary evacuation of civilians from active war zones after all temporary evacuation is reversible while the loss of life is not you know the facts yet due to political interests some of you prefer spreading falsehoods over the truth Israel be damned colleagues as we speak as we speak there are over one million Muslims being forcibly removed from their homes all of their possessions taken from them as they face poverty, famine and disease no I'm not talking about the situation in Gaza but about Pakistan's forced displacement of 1.3 million Afghans Afghan families that live their entire lives in Pakistan are being forcefully expelled their lives destroyed and their future lost 85 percent of those fleeing are women and children 85 percent this council convened 21 times primarily primarily to assist the people of Gaza at the account of Israel defending itself against Hamas terrorists but not even once to focus to focus solely on defending the rights of Afghans in Pakistan why does the forced displacement of Muslims from a Muslim country mean nothing to the Algerian representative and the council I'll tell you why no Jews no news but this is merely one example on Christmas 200 Nigerian Christians were murdered by Muslims over the past decade 50,000 Christians in Nigeria have been butchered and hacked to death is this even a concern to the council again no Jews no news colleagues this council speaks a lot about proportionality but where is the proportionality when it comes to your obsession against Israel you dedicate hours hours talking about Israel and attempting to tie our hands when brutal dictatorships and murderous regimes such as Iran and others are hardly a focus here sadly you are not the captains of this ship the council is being led by the poisonous political goals of the biased majority in the UN every UN body is now a weapon against Israel and as a result those in real need remain helpless by focusing mainly on Israel a country that represents one tenth of one percent of the global population every human rights abuser can continue their crimes unimpeded colleagues in 2020 in 2023 the General Assembly passed more resolutions against Israel than against Iran North Korea and Syria combined Iran a country that murders women for not properly wearing their head cover coverings guns down peaceful protesters thousands and hangs members of the LGBTQ community from cranes while funding terror across the globe had only one GA resolution passed against it while its leaders are given the red carpet treatment here at the UN Syria a country that has murdered hundreds of thousands of its own citizens with bare bombs and chemical weapons also also had only one resolution passed against it Israel had over a dozen just like every year it should be crystal clear to every person in this room that the UN is not only broken it is dangerous it took UN women 60 days to release a loose and vague statement on Hamas's sexual violence despite the overwhelming evidence of their crimes to the UN Israeli women are not women Under Secretary General Griffith libelously said recently that Gaza is the worst humanitarian crisis the worst he has ever seen really? He saw the killing field of Khmer Rouge He saw 400,000 Yemenis murdered and starved to death but to him Gaza is worse Every single day Israel facilitates truckloads of food, water and medical supplies to Gaza and supports every humanitarian initiatives while Ocha refuses to even report about Israeli victims of terror Where are his concerns? By the way, where are your concerns? of Palestinian leaders Palestinian officials incitement to terrorism They pay the terrorists they don't only talk about it they pay them to kill Jews The PA did not even condemn the October 7th massacre Where are the concerns? Even the WHO has joined the Palestinians arsenal In May, at the WHO annual meeting a special debate was held to single out Israel The only country in the world singled out for condemnation with its very own special agenda item was the Jewish state At that same annual meeting North Korea was elected to the WHO board upon which Syria and Yemen also sit This is how distorted the UN has become The same goes for UNRWA Just this week, a telegram group of 3,000 UNRWA teachers in Gaza was exposed to contain many posts celebrating and praising Hamas' massacre The rapist murderers were praised as heroes Their education was glorified and pictures of dead and captured Israelis were gleefully shared Countless weapons catches and rockets have been found in UNRWA schools across Gaza as well as sickening education materials promoting martyrdom and anti-Semitism This is a UN agency manufacturing generations of hate and violence It is literally a UN facilitated weapon against Israel The list of different UN agencies and bodies that have been weaponized against Israel is endless But of all the anti-Israel organs at the UN there is one that puts all others to shame and this is the Human Rights Council Currently, important to know the facts out of the Council's 47 members only 17 actually uphold human rights in their own countries and this is the Council we trust to be a lighthouse of morality and good Not a single Human Rights Council resolution has been focused on the police state of Cuba not even once or the authoritarian regime of Venezuela No Jews, no news Iran even recently chaired a Human Rights Social Forum to the UN darkness is light and wrong is right Israel is the only country that is bashed at every Human Rights Council session due to special agenda item 7 bash the Jews and make news Like in the General Assembly Israel has more resolutions passed against it at the Human Rights Council than any other country by a long shot One third of all commissions of inquiry ever established by the Council have been against who have been to investigate Israel the only liberal democracy in the Middle East You are invited to visit even though you don't want to Colleagues just when Israel thought that the UN had hit rock bottom this organization proved us wrong South Africa's libelous case at the ICJ is the epitome of the UN's dystopian reality How can it be that the Convention on the Prevention of Genocide adopted following the genocide of the Jewish people is now being weaponized against the Jewish state while serving the Hamas terrorist that perpetrated perpetrated the massacre Anyone who looks at the facts on the ground can see that South Africa's case is baseless Hamas is the one that declares publicly and seeks to commit genocide against Israelis not the other way around The body that should truly be sitting on trial is the UN The UN is an accomplice of terrorists The UN has turned a blind eye to Hamas's digging of terror tunnels for 18 years under schools and Hamas's exploitation of international aid to fund their terror war machine Mr. President Israel is fighting the most just war Israel was attacked unprovoked by Hamas ISIS terrorist whose stated goal is to annihilate us It is written in their charter and they have sworn to republicry to repeat the atrocities of October 7th until they achieve this goal No country No country dear colleagues in the world would accept a ceasefire in a similar situation until such a threat can no longer be actualized You all know this So why are you still being steered by politics? Why are you directly following the script of terrorists? Do you not bother to think what will happen if Israel and Gaza in Israel and Gaza if there is a ceasefire? We know what will happen Hamas will continue its reign of terror in Gaza How can you speak about the two-state solution or any other solution together with a ceasefire that will keep Hamas in power? What kind of future do you think the region will have if this happens? Hamas knows that it cannot defeat Israel on the conventional battlefield So instead, it uses terror to attempt to drive us away out of fear while weaponizing the UN to help it achieve its goal The time has come to take back the UN to force this institution to live up to its founding principles Thank you, Mr. President I thank the representative of Israel for his statements and the representative of Algeria for asking for a further statement Thank you, Mr. President Thank you, but give me the floor for a second time Please, rest assured, I will speak only with Israel I will speak only with Israel I will speak only with Israel I will speak only with Israel I will speak only with Israel but I am going to attempt to help you to conclude this meeting of our Council on a positive note First of all, I wish to thank all my colleagues at the Security Council for their substantive contributions to the matter which convenes us here today that is the project of the displacement of the Palestinian population In light of our discussions this afternoon we can conclude that there is consensus within the Security Council behind the need to categorically reject any project aiming directly or indirectly to bring about the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from their land This is a rare consensus It is an invaluable consensus which brings us together and reconciles us with our new naturalism We cannot forge ahead together on the basis of this consensus within this Council and but we must do that even if it only deals with one part of the Palestinian issue because if we do work together on the basis of that consensus that will reverberate in an extraordinary fashion in terms of public opinion throughout the world and particularly within our region so we need to work together on the basis of that consensus I must confess that in our region the United Nations and the Security Council need to restore their credibility and rebuild trust in their endeavors The Algerian delegation is really and willing to work with all colleagues within the Security Council to make progress in that direction for peace in our region but also throughout the world I thank the representative of Algeria for that statement There are no additional speakers on our speaker list The meeting is adjourned The 9,532nd meeting of the Security Council is called to order The original agenda for this meeting is Maintenance of international peace and security The agenda is adopted In accordance with Rule 39 on the Council's original rules of procedure I am right Mr Khaled Kiari Assistant Secretary General from Middle East Asia in the Department of Political and Peace Building Affairs and peace operation to participate in this meeting It is so decided The Security Council will now begin its consideration of agenda item 2 of the agenda I now give the floor to Mr Khaled Kiari Thank you Mr President On 11th January the military forces of the United States and the United Kingdom supported by four countries reportedly conducted over 50 air strikes and missile strikes on targets across Yemen including in Sana'a, Te'az, Hudaida, Hajja, Sa'ada, Damar and Ibb According to the Houthis five dead and six wounded fighters The United Nations cannot independently verify these figures at this time As of this afternoon no UN staff or premises were reported as having been affected Yesterday a strike followed the continued Houthi targeting of vessels in the Red Sea including what was reported as the largest attack to date on 9th January which involved a combination of drones and missiles that were intercepted by the United States and United Kingdom naval forces Subsequent to the adoption of Security Council Resolution 27-22 on 10th January the Houthis reportedly launched another attack using an anti-ship ballistic missile on 11th January The former attack was claimed by the Houthis to be a preliminary retaliation for the killing of Houthis fighters by U.S. naval forces in an incident reported on 31st December Mr. President we are witnessing a cycle of violence that risks grave political security, economic and humanitarian repercussions in Yemen and the region Recent humanitarian improvements in the country are fragile and could easily be reversed if there are further incidents while progress on reaching a political settlement to end the war in Yemen could also be undermined leaving the people of Yemen facing the impact of continued conflict These developments in the Red Sea and the risk of exacerbating regional tensions are alarming The Houthis' attack following the adoption of Security Council Resolution and yesterday's events further demonstrate that the region is on a dangerous escalatory trajectory which could potentially impact millions in Yemen, the region and globally In a statement issued today, the Secretary General called upon all parties involved not to escalate even more the situation in the address of peace and stability in the Red Sea and the wider region All concerned parties must do their utmost to avoid further escalation, reduce tensions and exercise restraint We also reaffirmed the importance of ensuring the safety and security of maritime navigation in the region as emphasized in the Resolution 2722 of this Council In that regard, we also called for the immediate release of the Galaxy Leader which was seized by the Houthis on 19 November and the release of her crew Mr. President, we call on this Council to continue its efforts in actively engaging with all concerned parties to prevent further escalation from exacerbating regional tensions or undermining regional peace, security or international trade I thank you I thank Mr. Khairi for his briefing I now give the floor to those Council members who wish to make a statement and I give the floor to the representative of the Russian Federation Mr. President, we thank Mr. Khairi for his briefing on the situation in general given the blatant armed aggression against another country We would like to see as a briefer the UN Secretary General in this situation The main task of the United Nations and its charter is to prevent threats to peace and to suppress acts of aggression or other violations of peace in accordance with the principles of international law With great regret, we know that yesterday we encountered just such a situation Armed aggression will buy a group of countries against another state The 11th of January, the so-called International Coalition by the U.S. Great Britain comprising Australia and Canada by crane and as they call themselves the capital of global justice, the Netherlands These states all carried out a mass strike on the United Territory I'm not talking about an attack on some group within the country but an attack on the people of Ukraine on the whole aircrafts were used, warships and submarines There are reports that U.S. Navy craft launched Tomahawk missiles as well The strikes at the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, the cities of Sana-Sara, Zabid, Tais and Tamar Americans and their satellites bombarded airports and other infrastructure at the site of the crater's explosions gave rise to fires What we're seeing in Yemen unfortunately is painfully familiar The same picture of destruction for three months has already been unfolding in the Gulf of Israel right now The long-suffering Yemen is becoming a hotbed of hostilities in the region once more The war is spreading to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Yemen Yet Washington is clearly not going to leave it at that The White House has announced that they deserve the right to resume hostilities if they see new threats You don't need to have clairvoyance to understand that these threats and these measures respond from them will be determined arbitrarily by the U.S. without the slightest regard for international law President, despite the assertions of our Western colleagues these massive strikes by the U.S. and Great Britain on the territory of Yemen have nothing in common with the exercise of the Red Self-Defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter Article 51 doesn't apply to the situation with commercial shipping The right to self-defense cannot be exercised in order to ensure the freedom of shipping Our American colleagues know this fact very well Yet no sanction by the UN Security Council under Article 7 of the Charter was forthcoming Even colleagues, the situation is crystal clear The actions of the so-called coalition that are illegally violating Article 2 of the UN Charter is the latest military aggression in the collective west is part of a long track record of attacks on the long sub-medal east All of the pseudo-legal justifications of the White House don't send it to any criticism I want to recall once more that the freedom of navigation is covered by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1989 In the event of a violation of the Convention it provides for starting negotiations with the violator and to submit a suit for arbitration to the international tribunal on the law of the sea But nothing in this documental war in the norms of international law in conventional law gives anyone the right to attack a stubborn country It's also clear that Washington is trying to provide at least a shred of justification for its illegitimate actions and it can't even get its way straight What's absolutely reasonable is the fact that the U.S. mentioned the concept of piracy that it's clear to anyone that's a reasonable that has taken even the slightest glance at the definition of piracy in Article 101 of the law of the sea But even if we're talking about pirates the Convention gives you the right to seize a pirate vessel and prosecute the crew and not to bomb yet another country into the stone age President, the Russian time and again has warned about the risks of such a scenario We've been consistent in our calls for a ceasefire in Gaza This includes with the aim of preventing further regional escalation and to prevent neighboring countries being drawn into it even indirectly being drawn into the Palestinian-Israeli conflict amid the unprecedentedly brutal Israeli military aberration in Gaza The attempts of the UN Security Council to take a decision to stop the violence were obstructed by the United States time and again Instead of addressing the root causes of instability they've favored political solutions to the problem Instead of favoring political solutions the West has chosen force instead of compelling Israel to stop us through this Gaza They've been given the opportunity to continue wiping out during the voting on the American-Japan draft resolution on the so-called freedom of shipping in the Red Sea We cautioned against taking the Western delegations at their word with regard to their supposedly noble intentions From the very beginning they intended to give a twisted explanation of with vague wording in order to provide at least some shred of legitimacy for the criminal acts In anticipating the risk of this scenario we proposed balanced amendments to the text that would have allowed to allow for avoiding these risks Unfortunately, the majority of Council members were not decisive enough to support our amendments Nonetheless, even in its current form in Resolution 2722 there's no reference to Article 7 of the Charter and there's no authorization for the arbitrary acts that the U.S. and its satellites are carrying out in Yemen This resolution is fraught with the risk of a full-fledged war not only in the country but throughout the region President of the United States and its allies have long-track record of gross violations and tortured explanations of international law They're trying to cover up their aggression against Syria with a fig leaf and so doing the U.S. concocted an absurd concept which supposedly allows for collective self-defense with a non-state actor that is the Syrian Kurds against the Syrian army on Syrian territory It's clear that this concept had nothing in common with international law or with the UN Charter The actions of the U.S. against Syria from the standpoint of international law are and remain a use of force which violates the UN Charter that is military aggression and occupation There was also a gross perversion of the provisions of council resolutions to the extent that the NATO coalition destroyed the Libyan state in 2011 Recently, the French cynically called the right to self-defense the latest war crimes of the Kiev-Quinta that was an attack with cluster bombs on a children's facility in Belgrade There were no military attacks there and these cassette these cluster musicians were used to increase the number of civilian victims including one in the shoulder the massacres that Israel is continuing in Gaza the U.S. is continuing to call that self-defense although the International Court of the UN in its advisor opinion in 2004 directly said Israel could not cite Article 51 as regards to its actions in the occupied Palestinian territories considering the particularities of the statuses of its territories A parent claim Washington isn't interested in international law or the International Court of the UN either are their allies All western countries are merely trying to further what they call the world rules-based order The Middle East is encountering a situation I'm not even talking about the west violating the many years of attempts to settle the Yemeni conflict The problem is quite broader These short-sighted steps undermine the security situation and they undermine the attempts to normalize the general regional stability if the escalation continues the Middle East could encounter a catastrophe and everything that's happened up until now would seem to be no big deal compared to that there could be countless lives lost the responsibility for this should be born by the U.S. and their henchmen whose geopolitical interests are have blocked a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the same parties have become as recently we call upon the international community to decisively condemn this attack against Yemen carried out by the U.S. without a minute of the U.N. and we also agree with the concerns of our regional partners voiced to this effect and we call for international efforts to stop the escalation of violence in the Middle East, thank you I thank the Represents of the Russian Federation and I present the words to the representative of the United Kingdom Thank you President and I thank Assistant Secretary General Kyari for his briefing the United Kingdom and this Council has consistently condemned in the strongest terms the illegal and unjustified attacks in the Red Sea by the Houthi militants on the 9th of January the Houthis attacked U.K. and U.S. naval vessels last night we took limited necessary and proportionate action in self-defence alongside the United States with the non-operational support of the Netherlands Canada Bahrain and Australia the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force carried out targeted strikes against military facilities used by Houthi rebels in Yemen this operation took particular care to minimise risks to civilians since November the Houthis have launched over 100 drone and missile attacks against vessels from a range of countries putting innocent lives at risk threatening the global economy and destabilising the region this has continued despite this Council's demand in Resolution 2722 adopted earlier this week that the Houthis immediately cease all such attacks let me be clear the attacks by Houthis on vessels in the Red Sea must stop we have made this clear to the Houthis and we call on them to de-escalate the United Kingdom is committed to continue working with the international community and this Council to combat this international threat we have published a summary of our legal position on last night's strikes and have reported to the Council in writing in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter we remain committed to ensuring freedom of navigation which is protected by international law and to defend international trade it is in all our interests to work together to de-escalate tensions in the region thank you President I thank the representative of the United Kingdom for her statement I now give the floor to the representative of the United States thank you Mr. President and thank you Assistant Secretary General Kiari for your briefing colleagues as you heard last night in response to ongoing and escalating Houthi attacks in the Red Sea the United States and United Kingdom with support from Australia Barron, Canada and a number of joint strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen the aim of these strikes was to disrupt and degrade the Houthis ability to continue their reckless attacks against vessels and commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden these strikes were necessary and they were proportionate as you just heard from my UK colleague they were consistent with international law and an exercise of the United States inherent right to self-defense as reflected by article 51 of the UN Charter and they were taken only after none military options proved inadequate to address the threat still any strike of this nature is a decision the United States does not take lightly and so I'd like to walk us through how we reach this moment and discuss the steps that we all must take going forward to de-escalate this situation while upholding navigational rights and freedoms because while this coordinated response follows the Houthis largest most complex and most recent attacks earlier this week the fact is that the Houthis ballistic attacks on vessels have been escalating since November and colleagues no one no one in this room is immune from the effects of these attacks not even Russia no one whether your ship flies an American flag or the flag of another nation whether you voted for this week's resolution or you've stained from it so long as any one of our ships is vulnerable all of our ships are vulnerable since November 2000 2000 ships have been forced to divert thousands of miles to avoid the Red Sea more than 50 nations have been affected in 27 Houthi attacks on international commercial shipping and Houthi militants have threatened and taken hostage mariners from more than 20 countries that includes the crew of the galaxy leader of the Hamas flag Japanese operated vessel on November 19 Houthi forces hijacked the ship and kidnapped a multinational crew including Bulgarian Mexican Romanian Ukrainian and Filipino citizens despite council calls for the release of the ship and its crews and its crew the Houthis still hold them hostage to this day not long after following the council's condemnation of these attacks our Norwegian flag vessel was struck by what appeared to be an anti-ship missile launched from a Houthi controlled area of Yemen days later Houthi forces attempted to board a Marshall Islands flag vessel while a pair of missiles were once again launched from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen and so on December 18th the United States established Operation Prosperity Guardian a 22 country strong defensive coalition to help defend against Houthi threats in the Red Sea on December 19th one month after the Houthis first took MV Galaxy leader in its crew hostage 44 countries condemned Houthi interference with navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea unfortunately the Houthis continued their attacks on December 26th the United States forces intercepted 12 one-way attack drones anti-ship cruise missiles and two land attack cruise missiles in the Southern Red Sea all fired by the Houthis at multiple vessels crossing the waterway aiming to deter further attacks and de-escalate the situation the United States put forward a presidential statement one that received strong support save unfortunately for one member of this council as we deliberated further on December 30th and 31st the attacks escalated when Houthis targeted and then attempted to commandeer a Singapore flag and Denmark owned an operated ship when Houthi attack attackers ignored warnings and fired on our naval helicopters the United States responded by striking and sinking three of their four boats and while the United States sought to defend commercial ships in the Red Sea we also continued to pursue a diplomatic response on January 3rd the United States along with 13 other countries representing some of the world's largest shippers warned that the Houthis attacks threatened innocent lives the global economy and the free flow of commerce noting that the Houthis would bear the full consequences should they continue these attacks that same day this council convened an emergency meeting where there was a consensus for council action and so in partnership with Japan we penned a resolution that was adopted earlier this week following extensive consultations this resolution once again called for the Houthis to cease these attacks and condemn those who provided the arms and assistance needed to carry them out I'll also note that this resolution referenced the inherent right of member states in accordance with international law to defend their vessels from attacks the inherent right so why take you through this timeline because doing so makes this much exceedingly clear yesterday's strike was the latest in a series of actions in self-defense taken by the United States alongside other countries and one that occurred against a broad diplomatic backdrop of global condemnation colleagues the United States does not desire more conflict in a region already so much of it our aim is simple to deescalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea while upholding the fundamental principles of freedom of navigation in order to do that this council must continue to do a few things we must continue to make clear that despite bad faith claims to the contrary most of the vessels the Houthis have attacked have nothing to do with Israel and it goes without saying attacks on any vessel in the Red Sea regardless of our origin or ownership are entirely unacceptable arguing otherwise risk legitimizing clear violations of international law we need to also be clear about the role of Iran in these attacks without Iranian support in violation of their obligations under resolution 2216 the Houthis would struggle to effectively track and strike commercial vessels navigating shipping lanes through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden every member of this council and especially those with direct channels to Iran should press Iran's leaders to reign in the Houthis and stop these attacks finally this council itself must continue to demand that the Houthis cease their attacks and release the mariners and ship it continues to hold hostage we must continue to uphold the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways in accordance with international law that was the charge before us when we first convened on this issue in December it was the charge before us when we convened earlier this week and that is the urgent urgent charge charge before us today thank you I thank the representative of the United States for her statement I give the floor to the representative of Slovenia thank you very much Mr President I myself want to thank Assistant Secretary Kerry for his briefing this afternoon I have three simple messages regarding the developments overnight first we condemn Houthi attacks in the Red Sea which must immediately cease this we made clear through the adoption of Resolution 2722 only two days ago freedom of navigation and maritime security are critical important for Slovenia what is also clear is that any action to defend vessels from attacks must be undertaken in full compliance with international law including international humanitarian law and international human rights law this means that principles of distinction, necessity, proportionality and precaution should be upheld at all times second the people of Yemen have suffered greatly through years of conflict of sustainable peace since April 22 they have benefited from a truce which is broadly holding it is regrettable that we have reached this point our sincere hope is that critical progress on UN mediated peace talks can continue and thirdly it is in no one's interest to have a further dangerous escalation in the Middle East and that these recent developments introduce a new dynamic to the region that has a potential to further complicate an already heated situation we call for a de-escalation of tensions and we urge restraint by the Houthis we stand ready to engage on a comprehensive response to the crisis currently engulfing the region a joint effort by a United Security Council is needed to avoid crashing into the abyss thank you I thank the distinct representative of Slovenia for his statement I give the floor to the representative of China thank you Mr President Mr President China would like to thank Russia for its call to hold this emergency meeting we thank ASU Kiari for the briefing just presented the US and UK launched airstrikes against targets in Yemen for escalating the tense situation in the Red Sea region China expresses its great concern at this the Red Sea is a critical route for the transportation of goods and energy for some time now the Houthis carried out many attacks and seizures which interrupts and disrupts international trade order and is detrimental to the region of stability China has called repeatedly on the Houthis to immediately seize their attacks and harassment on commercial vessels and respect the navigation rights of the commercial vessels of all countries in the Red Sea to maintain international law at the same time China calls upon the all parties major countries with influence in particular to play a constructive and responsible role and work together to maintain the safety and security of the shipping lanes in the Red Sea it is regrettable to see that the blatant military actions taken by the relevant countries against Yemen have not only caused infrastructure destruction and civilian casualties resulting in heightened security risks in the Red Sea this does not contribute to the protection of the safety and security of the commercial vessels and the freedom of navigation the relevant military operations could also undermine the political process in Yemen we fail to see how such military operations could achieve the stated objectives it must be pointed out that the Security Council has never authorized any state to use force against Yemen the military actions taken by the relevant countries are at odds with the Security Council Resolution 2722 which was recently adopted China reiterates that no country shall misinterpret or abuse international law and Security Council resolutions and create new tensions in the Red Sea the current tense situation in the Red Sea is one of the manifestations of the spillover effects of the conflict in Gaza allowing the conflict in Gaza to drag on while expecting it will not spread is wishful thinking and illusion what's more calling for the prevention of spillover of the conflict while adding fuel to the fire on the other by provoking military confrontation is self-contradictory and irresponsible the Middle East region is already on the brink of extreme danger the last thing we need at this stage is reckless military adventurism the first thing we need is calm and restraint to prevent further expansion of the conflict we urge relevant parties especially major countries of influence to abide by the U.N. Charter and international law keep into the right direction of dialogue and consultation and make concrete efforts to maintain peace and stability in the Red Sea and in the Middle East thank you Mr. President we take note and thank you for the information provided by the Assistant Secretary General Kiering and could I persist concerning regarding the escalation of the conflict over recent hours in the Red Sea and echoes the call of the Secretary General upon all antagonists involved to avoid exacerbating the situation still further in the interest of peace and stability of the region a few days ago in this room terrorist attacks perpetrated into various commercial vessels in the Red Sea by the U.S. acts pressure on a plagrant violation of international law and therefore is directed to international peace and security Ecuador today reiterates this condemnation in this regard Ecuador has expressed its concern regarding the risk of this situation exacerbating tension still further in the whole of the region and the possibility of this might destabilize still further international peace and security the resolution adopted by the Security Council a few days ago called for a ceasefire upon the duty attacks on commercial vessels and of course the release of the galaxy and its print immediately these provisions are mandatory and all measures at this Council must therefore be used for its implementation pursuant to international law attacks upon commercial vessels in the Red Sea directly affect the food insecurity and the humanitarian crisis in Yemen as well as having impact on a global scale regional supply chains and increasing the prices of goods we call once again for political dialogue and to the offices of the United Nations as being the path towards sustainable peace in this country and now actually should be taken to reverse what has thus been achieved in order to bring an end to this conflict which is resulting in the worst humanitarian crisis in the world I thank the representative of Ecuador for that statement and I give the floor to the representative of Japan Thank you Mr. President let me first express my appreciation to ASD Hiari for his briefing since mid November last year the Hushi have been continuously attacking commercial vessels engaging in lawful maritime transit through the Red Sea they have also illegally seized and are holding the Galaxy leader a vessel operated by a Japanese company and its crews for more than 50 days as everyone knows these acts are fragment violations of international law and a matter of serious concern for global maritime transportation such actions that jeopardize freedom of navigation of commercial vessels and safety of crew members cannot be justified for any reason the international community has repeatedly raised a strong voice in demanding for the immediate cessation of these attacks this council also issued a press statement last month and held an emergency meeting on January 3rd to express this grave concern against Hushi's irresponsible actions on the same day Hushi's concern including Japan sent a clear message that Hushi's would bear the responsibility of the consequences if they continued the threat to lives, global economy and the free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways the Hushi's however have not stopped the attack against commercial vessels have been escalating the illegal and acceptable actions Mr. President only two days ago Security Council adopted the Resolution 2722 demanding the Hushi's to immediately seize the attacks against commercial vessels and reaffirming their navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea to date we have exerted all possible diplomatic efforts to resolve this issue regrettably however the Hushi's have ignored the calls of the United States including the unequivocal pronouncement by this council in response the United States and the United Kingdom have conducted joint strikes against a number of targets in Hushi's control areas yesterday to degrade the Hushi's capacity to make additional threat Japan supports the determination of the United States and United Kingdom and relevant countries ensuring the free and safe navigation of vessels to this end we understand that these measures are aimed at preventing the further deterioration of the situation Japan remains firm in its commitment to not tolerate any action that would disturb the inalienable freedom of safe and navigation and will take the necessary steps to seize the Hushi's threats while continuing to closely with other countries I thank you I thank the representative of Japan for all the statement I give the floor to the representative of Mozambique Thank you Mr President we thank Assistant Secretary General Khaled Kiare for his briefing to the council Mr President Mozambique is deeply concerned by the recent developments in Yemen occurring less with the adopted resolution 2722 while we abstained from that vote it is unfortunate that the council's decision could be misinterpreted as sanctioning the use of force as members of this council entrusted with maintaining international peace we firmly oppose any action that undermine international security or could be misconstrued as sanctioning escalation we are deeply worried by the potential involvement of other UN members in the escalation of the conflict and violence in the region we believe that the employment of force at this precarious time undermines crucial ongoing diplomatic efforts to pull the region back from the brink amidst the ongoing Israel-Palestine crisis we firmly believe that in the face of possible all-out conflict in the region, moderation and increased efforts to address the underlying cause of tensions in the region must take precedence Mr President we categorically condemn any attacks that indenturing commercial vessels and the safe and unhindered situation in the Red Sea such actions are totally unacceptable Mr President it is common knowledge that Yemen is currently facing a severe humanitarian crisis and it is on the verge of becoming a new front in an already unstable region this unfortunate situation in Yemen is fertile ground and extremist we strongly advocate maximum caution and restraint by all actors in order to prevent the situation in the Red Sea worsening any further our mandate requires us to pursue peace rather than violence and ensure that every action we take safeguards the region from further escalation and hardship Mr President I thank the representative of Mozambique for her statement and give the floor to the representative of Malta Thank you President and thank you Egekari for your briefing the Middle East continues to be in a state of turmoil the conflict in Gaza the deteriorating situation in the West Bank hostilities along the blue line and episodes of insecurity in Syria and Iraq are not a troubling picture the rapidly deteriorating maritime security situation in the Red Sea is an equal cause of grave concern the Houthi attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea are in violation of international law they risk the safety of seafarers and other persons and jeopardize critical flows of goods respecting and upholding the navigational rights of commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Babal Mandab is of paramount importance attacks that threaten these rights are unacceptable and must be strongly condemned we reiterate our call on the Houthis to immediately seize any attacks and actions against commercial shipping President ongoing violence in the region risks fuelling an unfortunate situation where military escalation would be almost inevitable it is fundamental to avoid any further escalation and restraint must be exercised as outlined in Resolution 2722 we also stress that international law including international humanitarian law must be respected at all times a further deterioration and maritime security will have dire consequences for global trade it will also have serious ramifications for the well-being of Yemen's civilian population who heavily rely on imports for essential needs this must be avoided at all costs thank you I thank the representative of Malta for her statement I now give the floor to the representative of Switzerland President I would like to thank ASG Kalimkari for her briefing which detailed the attacks of the last few days in the Red Sea as well as the military strikes waged by an American British coalition last night these developments actually disquiet they are once again heightening risks of a regional escalation in December members of the Security Council were unanimous in their press statement and they condemned the Houthis attacks against vessels in the Red Sea which is the release of the entire crew of the Galaxy Leader then just two days ago we adopted Resolution 2072 which reaffirmed the importance to painstakingly observe navigational rights and freedoms in the Red Sea in keeping with international law in its statement delivered after the vote Switzerland shared its legal interpretation of the third of OP in that resolution mentioned in that article that is the right of member states in accordance with international law to defend their vessels from attack including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms this right is strictly limited to military measures aimed at intercepting attacks against merchant vessels and warships in order to protect these their vessels and everyone on board in this context any military need to protect the aforementioned vessels and persons should be deemed disproportionate and is therefore not coveted by the aforementioned resolution Switzerland is concerned about the military strikes carried out by the USA in coalition incidents in the attacks in the Red Sea and in the former region having a negative knock-on effect on maritime traffic and world trade as well as on the civilian population when peace talks in Yemen and a significant progress we must help to preserve to lock in these gifts indeed in the long term the best way of guaranteeing security in the Red Sea and a lasting peace in Yemen is involving all places concerned further deterioration in the situation must therefore be avoided we do have the collective means to prevent this therefore puts physical calls and in the broader region to exercise caution and the utmost restraint in keeping with the international law in this respect we take note of the joint declaration delivered by the maritime coalition in particular the stated desire to de-escalate the situation furthermore the council must stand united on issues of maritime security and generally in its decisions affecting this region for the directly or indirectly by extension the maintenance of international peace and security it is incumbent upon us to prevent and not to exacerbate rising tensions Switzerland is fully committed to this endeavor thank you I thank the Secretary of State of Switzerland for that statement I give the floor to the representative of the Republic of Korea Thank you Mr President let me begin by thanking Ilha Strykari for his timely briefing my delegation reiterates the vital importance of assuring free and safe navigation in the Red Sea which is a pivotal global maritime route where about 15% of global sea trade passes any attacks against commercial vessels are unjustifiable and unacceptable under any circumstances despite a series of international calls urging the Houthis to seize their attacks on merchant and commercial vessels such attacks in the Red Sea have continued posing threats to lives and the free flow of commerce through this critical waterway Resolution 2722 which this council adopted only two days ago clearly references the right of the member states in accordance with international law to defend the vessels from attacks including those that undermine navigation rights and freedoms any attempts to create fear by holding hostage the free flow of commerce in the Red Sea and to exploit the regional situation are destined to fail once again we urge the Houthis to refrain from dangerous provocations and to immediately release the Galaxy leader and his crew at the same time it is also imperative to prevent any further spillover from the precarious situation in the region for the protection of civilians as well as for the global economy I thank you Mr President Thank you I thank the representative of the Republic of Korea for his statement I now give the floor to the representative of Guyana Thank you Mr President we thank you for convening this urgent meeting to receive an update from ASG Kiari on recent developments in Yemen and we thank ASG for his briefing we join other council members in expressing concern about the impact of recent attacks in the Red Sea and now in Yemen on diplomatic efforts to achieve sustainable peace in Yemen efforts to contain the ongoing conflict in the region last week council members gathered in this chamber and agreed on the need to avoid any further escalation intentions we also acknowledged the need to avoid jeopardizing the prospects of reaching a comprehensive peace agreement in Yemen one that would finally end a nine year war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and has triggered one of the worst worst humanitarian crises in the world we listened to ASG Kiari caution about the risks of further compounding the already volatile situation in the region and expressed our support for the ongoing efforts of the special envoy one week later we seem to be faced with an entirely new dispensation one where the prospects for progress and sustainable peace may be in jeopardy today an estimated 18.2 million people in Yemen are still in need of humanitarian assistance at the same time international funding for humanitarian operations is on the decline the Yemeni people can ill afford a re-escalation of hostilities they deserve peace the people of the Middle East deserve peace Ghana calls for all sides to exercise restraint and to avoid taking any further actions that could derail ongoing efforts to find a sustainable long term solution to the crisis in Yemen we therefore reiterate our call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for an end to the attacks on commercial and merchant vessels in the Red Sea and for the release of the galaxy leader vessel and crew finally this council must maintains its support for on-voice efforts to negotiate a sustainable peace in Yemen I thank you I thank the representative of Guyana for his statement I now give the floor to the representative of Sierra Leone Mr. President I thank you for convening this briefing let me also thank ASJ Khalil-Keri for his important informative briefing and insight this council on January 2024 adopted Resolution 2722 to address the continued attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea Sierra Leone voted in favour of the resolution in view of the principle to protect the navigational rights and freedoms of vessels of all member states and the threat posed to international peace and security, particularly in the region in our explanation of position in the adoption of the resolution 2722 we urge for due compliance in application of existing international law in this regard any action by member states that have taken place after the Security Council approved Resolution 2722 must be in line with the provisions of the resolution and existing international law we condemn the attacks by the Houthis and urge compliance with the Council's resolution I also call for the release of MV Galaxy Leader and its crew Sierra Leone also reiterates the need for safeguarding the Yemeni peace process and the further need to address the root causes including the conflict in the Gaza Strip I thank you I thank the representative of Sierra Leone for that statement and now give the floor to the representative of Algeria Thank you Mr. President for convening this meeting Thank you Mr. Chiari for your briefing Two days ago during the adoption of the resolution on maritime security Algeria stressed that military intervention cannot ease the tensions in the Red Sea region Algeria expresses its deep concern regarding the ongoing military operation and airstrikes in the Red Sea region targeting various sites and cities in Yemen Algeria calls for restraint and caution at this critical juncture to avoid further escalation Our opinion is that first the use of force will only complicate the situation in Yemen and may lead unfortunately to undermining the effort deployed by the special envoy of the Secretary General to end the war in Yemen and to relaunch the political process for a united Yemen with the government controlling his coastal borders and ensuring the security in the Red Sea Second, addressing the root causes of conflicts in the region is now imperative and in this context the need for ceasefire in Gaza has never been more urgent every day we count more and more victims among civilian, women and children and only a ceasefire an immediate and durable ceasefire will ease the tensions in the region and avoid the spillover with catastrophic consequences in the whole region I thank you I thank the representative of Algeria for his statement I shall now make the statement in my capacity as the representative of France I'd like to thank the France Condon France Condens in the Red Sea against commercial vessels France welcomes the adoption of Resolution 2720 to which sends a clear and resolute message to the Routes in conducting the activities of the Routes the heavy responsibility for the inflation tensions in the region as well as for international stability they are threatening 15% of global trade France continues to call for of the Gulf Sea leader and its crew which hail from the Philippines, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania and Mexico they are unlawfully detained by the Routes the Islamic Republic of Iran finances and art the Routes which are cease doing so as this is inter-stabilizing activity in its Resolution 2722 the UN Security Council record that to navigational rights must be upheld and that states under international law have the right to respond to such attacks France will continue to shoulder its responsibility contributing to maritime security in this area working hand in hand as it was called to do on the 9th and 11th of December 2023 when the French frigate was called upon to destroy Houthi drones thank you very much the representative of the Russian Federation has asked for the floor to deliver a second statement you have the floor sir President we are not surprised by very weak arguments which were put forward by the US and the UK today to justify their aggression after all they simply don't have any other arguments there is no legal basis for their attacks on the sovereign Yemen what right to self-defense can it be London and Washington are located thousands of miles from the Gulf of Aden since when did this right to extend to commercial vessels and in fact this was confirmed by the PR of the US this was done flying the flag one thing is clear with no legitimate mandate for the activities of this self-proclaimed coalition there is no basis it's one thing defending commercial shipping attacks on which are of course unacceptable but it's completely different when you're disproportionately and illegally bombing another state the Anglo-Saxon Jewel and their satellites are once again flagrantly violating the UN Charter and other non-submarine international war further destabilizing the situation in the Middle East which is really inflamed is the new rounds of bombing this is the West's contribution to Middle Eastern diplomacy thank you to the floor once again to make a further statement I give you the floor we have been clear in our statement despite the fact that my Russian colleague thinks it was weak we carried out this action under article 51 and this comes down simply to freedom of navigation the free flow of commerce and yes for the United States but also for more than 50 nations that have been affected by these attacks whose ships have been rerouted thousands of miles to avoid violence crews have been held hostage some to this day vessels have been fired on and frankly would have been hit without our intervention and the situation in the Red Sea has become untenable in every single country that's been affected by these attacks so de-escalation needs to happen it needs to happen from the Houthis who are putting all of our shipping lines in jeopardy thank you Mr. President I thank the representative of the United States I thank the representative of the United Kingdom thank you President I'll say briefly as I said just now in my intervention we've published a summary of our legal position on last night's strikes and we have reported to the council in writing in accordance with article 51 of the charter thank you President I thank the representative of the United Kingdom there are no more names inscribed on the list of speakers the meeting is adjourned stay calm has said