The Middle East, including the Palestinian Question: Briefing and Consultations on the Situation in Northern Gaza
This morning (16 October), the Security Council will hold a briefing, followed by closed consultations, on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” (MEPQ). Algeria, supported by France and the UK, called for the meeting. Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Joyce Msuya is expected to brief.
The situation in northern Gaza will be the main focus of today’s meeting. Since 5 October, Israel has been carrying out a military offensive focused on the Jabalia refugee camp in the north of the Gaza Strip, where Israel says that Hamas has attempted to rebuild its capabilities. The offensive, which has included the encirclement of the area as well as heavy airstrikes, has raised concerns among key humanitarian and human rights interlocutors about its impact on the civilian population.
In a 13 October statement, Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) Muhannad Hadi said that, since 1 October, Israeli authorities have “increasingly cut off northern Gaza from essential supplies”, with border crossings in the north of the Gaza Strip closed and no essential supplies allowed from the south. Hadi stated that a “military siege that deprives civilians of essential means of survival is unacceptable”, noting that over 50,000 people had been displaced from the Jabalia area following several evacuation orders “while others remain stranded in their homes amid increased bombardment and fighting”. The statement added that the military operations in northern Gaza “forced the closure of water wells, bakeries, medical points and shelters”, among other things, while hospitals have seen an influx of trauma injuries.
Today, Msuya is likely to echo these messages. She may also note that the situation in northern Gaza is taking place against the backdrop of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the wider Gaza Strip, where, according to a 14 October statement by Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric, humanitarian assistance remains “woefully inadequate and is at the lowest level in months”. (For background, see the brief on “The Middle East, including the Palestinian question” in our October Monthly Forecast.)
At today’s meeting, Council members are likely to express deep concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and call for the urgent provision of humanitarian aid at scale, including to northern Gaza. At press time, several media outlets were reporting that, on 16 October, Israel announced that 50 trucks carrying supplies entered northern Gaza. Some members may note this development and call on Israel to increase all forms of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, including the north, to avert the risk of starvation and famine.
Many Council members are expected to underscore the need for all parties to adhere to international law, including international humanitarian law, and protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. Some may reference the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the context of South Africa’s proceedings against Israel concerning possible violations in the Gaza Strip of obligations under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, especially as they relate to the unhindered facilitation of humanitarian assistance. Some members may reiterate their previous calls for the establishment of functioning deconfliction mechanisms.
Several Council members are expected to address the detrimental impact of repeated evacuation orders on the Palestinian population in Gaza—at least 1.9 million people are estimated to be displaced across the Gaza Strip, with many having been displaced multiple times. A 14 October note by the UN Human Rights Office in the OPT said that the “separation of North Gaza” raises concerns that Israel “does not intend to allow civilians to return to their homes”. Today, some members are likely to express similar concerns.
At today’s meeting, Council members might also be interested in an update from Msuya regarding the implementation of the second round of the UN vaccination campaign for variant poliovirus type 2 (polio) for children under ten years of age in Gaza amidst the ongoing hostilities. Following the detection of the virus in the Gaza Strip in July, the first round of the vaccination campaign was completed on 12 September. The second round began on 14 October in central Gaza and is expected to be implemented in three phases, each involving three campaign days and one catch-up day.
In a 14 October social media post, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that a UNRWA school that was scheduled to be used for the vaccination campaign was hit in an airstrike, which resulted in the reported killing of 20 people. Today, members may urge the conflict parties to guarantee the conditions for the safe implementation of the vaccination campaign. Some participants might also stress, as World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently did, that while children in Gaza need vaccines and humanitarian aid, “above all, they need peace”.
Today, Council members are expected to reiterate their longstanding calls for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages held captive by Palestinian armed groups, as well as their condemnations of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks. Some members might also reiterate their demand that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) be granted access to all those held captive in connection with the war.
As in past Council discussions on the war in Gaza, Council members are likely to adopt different positions in responding to the recent attacks. Several members, including Algeria, China, and Russia, have sharply criticised Israel’s conduct in the Gaza Strip. Guyana called on the Council at the 29 August meeting on the MEPQ to “seriously consider how it could ensure an immediate ceasefire in the context of its own responsibility to protect innocent civilians from genocide”.
The US, Israel’s key ally on the Security Council and its main supplier of armaments, has generally adopted a more conciliatory tone towards Israel, saying that it supports Israel’s right to defend itself and urging Council members to focus on condemning Iran for its destabilising role in the region. It is unclear whether a 13 October letter from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin directed to Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer will translate into a marked change of US posture at the Security Council. The letter, the authenticity of which was confirmed by Spokesperson of the US Department of State Matthew Miller, lists a series of measures directed at Israel, including enabling a minimum of 350 trucks per day to enter Gaza and rescinding evacuation orders “when there is no operational need”. The letter says that “Israel must, starting now and within 30 days, act” on these measures, adding that failure to demonstrate “sustained commitment to implementing and maintaining these measures may have implications for US policy under NSM-20 and relevant US law”, a reference to US policy and legislation regulating the provision of US military assistance.