Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah participated on Monday in a high-level ministerial side event at the United Nations Geneva headquarters on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In his speech, the minister of foreign affairs said that civilians in Gaza are suffering the severest conditions, being exposed to bombing, forced displacement, and hunger. “Israel continues its war on Gaza through continuous violations of international humanitarian law," he said.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan reiterated that realizing an immediate and permanent ceasefire is a priority. The Israeli war has killed about 30,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, displaced about 75% of the population of Gaza, and increased the suffering of 2.2 million people due to food insecurity, he added.
The minister expressed deep concern about the lack of decisive international action to address the critical situation in Gaza.
He also pointed to Israel's blocking of aid trucks, saying, "The daily average number of trucks that entered Gaza from February 9 to 22 was 56 trucks -- much less than the pre-war period of 500 trucks per day, although Security Council Resolution No. 2720, which includes a call to establish mechanisms for humanitarian aid, as Israel has not fulfilled its promises to protect civilians and provide them with aid."
The minister of foreign affairs stated that targeting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) at this time would harm innocent civilians in Gaza and exacerbate the suffering of the Palestinian people, urging all countries that have stopped their support for UNRWA to retract their decisions.
The minister renewed his commitment to the call for an immediate ceasefire, facilitating the safe delivery of aid to Gaza, releasing all civilian hostages, and reviving the path of just and sustainable peace.
