Over 70 UN member states signed a joint statement urging the world to protect civilians in armed conflicts, amid mounting fears over starvation and genocide in Gaza, according to Arab News.
The statement followed an annual open debate at the UN on the issue of protecting civilians.
“Civilians in armed conflicts continue to live under unthinkable conditions of constant danger, insecurity and suffering,” the joint statement said.
Since the beginning of Hamas-Israel War in Gaza in 2023, the Israeli strikes have killed at least 53,500 Palestinians and wounded more than 118,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Worst Humanitarian Crisis
The statement highlighted reports from the UN’s humanitarian agency, OCHA, that warned Gaza is facing the “worst humanitarian crisis” since the beginning of the war.
“Today, we come with one clear message: The protection of civilians is not optional. It is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law, and a moral imperative we cannot afford to neglect,” the statement added.
It also mentioned that women, men, children, older persons, and persons with disabilities, are all suffering.
Meanwhile, health workers, farmers, teachers are killed, injured and forced to flee.
“Their protection must not be a secondary consideration — it must be central to all military planning and political decisions,” it said.
During the UN debate, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, stated that the organization has repeatedly warned of imminent famine in Gaza. This starvation is a result of Israel’s blockade on humanitarian goods that started in March.
Despite the fact that Israel lifted blockade this week, the UN has still struggled to transport desperately needed aid into Gaza.
In this context, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday that the Israeli military provided aid trucks with access to Gaza only via an unsafe road.
“Let us reiterate our collective responsibility to protect the most vulnerable, to uphold international law, to prioritize the safety, dignity and rights of civilians, and to ensure that their faces and voices — so often invisible and silenced behind statistics — remain central to our actions,” the statement added.
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