By Manal Abdel Fattah
Ambassador Zhang Jun, China’s representative to the United Nations, said Beijing had taken note of the accusations of alleged involvement of UNRWA staff in the October 7 attack.
The ambassador added at the UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine issue: We support an independent, impartial and objective investigation conducted by the United Nations, as it should also be noted that individual cases should not weaken interest in the situation in Gaza and efforts to stop… Fire and mitigation of humanitarian disaster.
He continued: UNRWA played an indispensable role in alleviating the severity of the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, as the UN agency represents the hope of survival for two million people in Gaza.
We must not deny the work of UNRWA as a whole, which is based entirely on the actions of a small number of individuals, and we should not stop… Supporting everyone at a time when it is needed most, which means cutting off the lifeline of the people in Gaza and leading to additional collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
He added: We call on the international community, especially the major donor countries, to reconsider their decision to stop funding for the benefit of the lives of people in Gaza, and the greater good of humanitarian relief, and to continue supporting UNRWA’s work during the investigation.
He pointed out that we must take steps to mitigate the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. The Director-General of the World Health Organization warned and described the conditions in Gaza as “hell,” so Security Council Resolutions 2712 and 2720 must be fully implemented, and Israel must cooperate fully by removing… Obstacles to the arrival of supplies at all levels, opening all access routes by land, sea and air, and effectively protecting humanitarian organizations and their staff.
He added: We support the Council taking further measures to remove obstacles to humanitarian relief. The temporary measures ordered by the International Court of Justice last week are a strong response to the international community’s concern about protecting civilians, alleviating the regional situation, and alleviating the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, so these must be implemented.
Interim measures quickly and effectively.