‘Two-State Solution on Life Support’, Special Coordinator Tells Security Council, Calling for Urgent Humanitarian Assistance in Gaza
‘History Will Not Absolve Those Who Delay Justice in Face of Genocide’, Says Delegate
The two-State solution is on life support, the Security Council heard today from a senior United Nations official who called for urgent humanitarian assistance in Gaza while speakers for Israel and the State of Palestine accused each other of politicizing aid delivery.
“Instead of saying goodbye, Palestinians in Gaza now say ‘see you in heaven’”, Sigrid Kaag, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ad Interim, said in her briefing. Since the collapse of the ceasefire in March, civilians have constantly come under fire and are deprived of life-saving relief. Israel must halt its devastating strikes on civilian life and infrastructure in Gaza, she urged.
On 18 May, the UN was informed by Israeli authorities of the approval for the resumption of limited aid entry into Gaza. This is comparable to “a lifeboat after the ship has sunk”, she said, stressing that aid cannot be negotiable. Stressing that Israel has the right to live in peace and security, she said this was undeniably shaken by the horrific terror attacks of 7 October. The hostages need to be released unconditionally, she said, and Hamas and other armed groups must stop launching rockets towards Israel.
The Council must move from managing the conflict to ending it, she said, adding that peace cannot be a transaction or a temporary arrangement. Also highlighting the dangerous trajectory in the West Bank, she pointed to the acceleration of the “de facto annexation through settlement expansion, land seizures and settler violence”. The General Assembly’s High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, to be held in June, must not end up as “another rhetorical exercise”, she said, adding: “Statehood is a right, not a reward.”
Feroze Sidhwa, civil-society representative, then told the Council that he is a trauma surgeon from the United States who has volunteered at two medical facilities in Khan Younis in 2024 and 2025. “I did not see or treat a single combatant during my five weeks in Gaza — my patients were six-year-olds with shrapnel in their hearts and bullets in their brains, pregnant women whose pelvises were obliterated and fetuses cut in two while still in the womb,” he said.
“I cannot pretend not to have seen it,” he said, emphasizing: “You, too, cannot claim ignorance.” Underscoring that the medical system has not failed — “it has been systematically dismantled through a sustained military campaign that has willfully violated international humanitarian law” — he stressed that “preventing genocide means refusing to normalize these atrocities.” The War Child Alliance reports that “nearly half of Gaza’s children are suicidal”, he told Council members.
He urged them — “and especially my own Government” — to demand an immediate ceasefire and a halt to all arms transfers. Further, it is necessary to “explicitly reject the weaponization and politicization of aid embodied by the ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’”, he said, noting the public resignation of the Foundation’s executive director on 25 May due to the “lack of adherence to humanitarian principles”.
“Flames and hunger are devouring Palestinian children,” Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, said. Overcome by sobs, he recounted images of mothers embracing the motionless bodies of children. He said that 1,300 children have been killed by Israel since it broke the ceasefire on 18 March. After seeing starvation used as a weapon of war, “now we see aid being used as a weapon of war,” he added. If Israel wanted aid in, it would open the crossings and allow humanitarian aid to enter fully. But its true concern is how to get rid of the Palestinians by killing them, starving them and destroying Gaza, he said, drawing attention to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mockery of claims of starvation in Gaza, as well as well as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s incendiary speeches in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The representative of Israel, meanwhile, noted that 170 trucks entered Gaza on 26 May with food and medicine, and that new aid-distribution centres ensure that these goods get “to civilians, not to terrorists”. However, he said that the UN has not only refused to condemn Hamas for its efforts to sabotage these new centres, but “is now actively joining Hamas in trying to block that aid” by removing organizations participating in the new mechanism from the central system tracking aid delivered into Gaza. He said that this is “the extortion of well-meaning NGOs who refused to kiss the ring” and “a shakedown by UN mobsters”.
The representative of the United States, underscoring Israel’s right to defend itself, called on the UN to work with the Gaza Heritage Foundation — “an independent entity established to provide a secure mechanism for the delivery of aid directly to those in need”. He also recalled the two Israeli embassy officials murdered last week in his country, and noted that one of them had made a social media post about antisemitism at the UN, condemning Tom Fletcher, Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, for antisemitism. His country will continue its effort to bring about a diplomatic agreement that will free the hostages, he said, but Hamas continues to reject proposals, violently suppresses protests and diverts aid meant for civilians.
Several Council members condemned the shooting of the two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. Many expressed support for Mr. Fletcher whose humanitarian briefing last week highlighted the risk of famine in Gaza. Speakers also highlighted the failures of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and underscored that aid should not be political.
“9,000 trucks wait at the border. Our message to Prime Minister Netanyahu is clear: let aid in and enable the UN to operate, now,” said the representative of the United Kingdom, while stressing Israel’s right to defend itself. Recalling warnings from UN officials about the risks from the Israeli Government’s plan for aid delivery, he said: “In Rafah yesterday, we saw this warning become a reality as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation lost control of its distribution center, with multiple casualties reported and great distress for those desperately seeking aid.”
The representatives of the Russian Federation and Panama also noted that incident in which despairing, hungry Palestinians overcame a distribution centre. “These facts demonstrate the limitations of this solution”, the latter said, underscoring the urgent need for better coordination, with the participation of UN agencies. The Republic of Korea’s delegate appealed to Israel to listen to the principled voices of humanitarian workers, including the former Executive Director of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, who resigned because he said that entity could not adhere to the principles of humanity and neutrality.
He as well as the representative of Greece, Council President for May, speaking in his national capacity, also condemned the recent incident in which shots were fired during a visit of foreign diplomats in Jenin.
The representative of the United Arab Emirates, speaking for the Arab Group, said the aid Israel has recently permitted represents “a drop in the ocean compared to Gaza’s overwhelming humanitarian needs”. The “chaos” that ensued at the distribution centre underlines the need for aid delivery coordinated with the United Nations. He added that Israel’s recent military escalation, along with its efforts to militarize and manipulate humanitarian aid, further its declared objective — “namely, to make life in Gaza unliveable, forcibly displace its population and seize Palestinian land in clear violation of international law”.
Speakers urged the Council to renew efforts towards a ceasefire and revive the two-State solution, many of them highlighting the suffering of the children of Gaza. The representative of Algeria asked: “What is the worth of saying ‘18,000 children’?” Stressing that “these are not only numbers”, he said that they are lives, dreams, voices, playtimes and lullabies extinguished. “The Israeli army killed them” —— deliberately — he underscored, adding: “Their deaths were not collateral; they were the consequences of a system that sees Palestinian lives as not human, as disposable.” Emphasizing that the Israeli occupation persists, emboldened by impunity and immunity, he asked: “What is expected of the Palestinians? Must they continue offering their children on the altar of global inaction?”
“Given our experience”, Sierra Leone’s delegate said, “we understand too well the consequences of delayed international action or inaction”. He recalled “with painful clarity” the global failure to prevent mass atrocities in Rwanda and Srebrenica. “The obligation to prevent genocide is not discretionary,” he underscored.
“Denmark remains firmly committed to Israel’s security,” said the former’s representative, while adding: “However, this cannot come at the cost of the civilian Palestinian people and their right to live in peace and dignity.” The representative of France, while underlining the need to disarm and politically neutralize Hamas, said: “However, the civilians in Gaza are not Hamas, and they are enduring a humanitarian situation that is devastating.”
Guyana’s delegate stressed that any peace deal reached should guarantee that Palestinians are not forced to give up any of their rights in exchange for peace. China’s delegate noted repeated calls from the Israeli side to completely destroy and take over Gaza. Noting the Israeli army’s control over more than 70 per cent of Gaza, as well as the continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank, he said the annexation of those territories will completely erode the two-State solution.
“As the task of listing every single cruelty has become impossible, our responsibility not to remain silent has become clearer,” stressed Slovenia’s representative. He spotlighted Israel’s “clear responsibility to protect civilians” and underlined the “clear responsibility to act”, which is why his country strongly supports the upcoming June conference on the two-State solution.
Several delegates, including the representatives of Somalia, expressed support for the upcoming international peace conference co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France. While the Assembly will hold that Conference in June, “the Council cannot remain a bystander,” Pakistan’s delegate said, adding: “History will not absolve those who delay justice in the face of genocide.” He called on the Council to support the humanitarian resolution to be tabled in that organ soon.