Secretary Blinken: Good morning. It is a great pleasure to have here my friend and colleague Sigrid Kaag, the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance to Gaza.
Over the past week, we have been working to address the challenges that are making it difficult to deliver vital humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza who need it so much, particularly when it comes to the safety of deliveries and the safety of those delivering the aid. I raised these concerns clearly and directly with Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Galant when he was here just a few days ago, and I think we have seen some progress in Israel in the last few days, including a commitment to meet some of the UN’s needs to ensure that it can deliver aid effectively and more safely.
We are facing the challenge of delivering aid to Gaza, but still not being able to distribute it effectively, mainly because there are real security challenges. And so when it comes to making sure that the food, water, medicine and other basic needs that the Palestinian people need to survive can get to them, we have important work to do. It is good and important that Israel is addressing these very concrete needs, but they must be implemented as quickly as possible. There is no time to lose.
And I also want to hear from Sigrid how the United Nations, the private providers of aid, all the countries that are working together to help the Palestinian people, who are in great need of it – how can we be more effective. And with that, Sigrid –
Secretary Blinken: – Nice to have you here.
Ms. Kaag: Thank you, Mr. Secretary, and thank you, my friend Tony, and also, thank you, the Secretary of State of the United States. I’m very happy to be here.
This is indeed a very critical period. I am responsible for the implementation of Security Council resolution 2720, which was born out of political necessity in the face of ever-increasing humanitarian needs, which had reached a near catastrophic level when the resolution was adopted in December. It has been a very difficult and trying time for the civilians in Gaza and of course for the families of the Israeli hostages, who are living with deep uncertainty about the fate of their loved ones.
But the focus of my mission is on the civilians in Gaza – getting the quantity, quality and predictability of the aid that they so desperately need, given the fact that they have fled their homes – 1.9 million people are displaced. They live in tents. There is a shortage of almost anything one can imagine. So, really, it is our job to not only deliver aid to Gaza but to be able to deliver it safely and securely.
And I’m not just saying this for the United Nations family. It’s also for the NGOs who risk their lives every day to be in their presence, both Palestinian NGOs and international NGOs. It’s a very difficult operating environment first and foremost for civilians, but also for those who want to help. And this is an ongoing conversation where the support and leadership of the United States is very critical to the success of the United Nations.
And similarly, if there is hope for a ceasefire agreement, it is also important that we take stock of the situation and that we focus on the initial recovery needs – healthcare facilities, children resuming their education, anything that is part of human dignity for our fellow human beings. And this is a shared commitment, and the ongoing discussions with the Israeli government in this regard are very important, with strong support and leadership from the United States, particularly Antony Blinken.
Secretary Blinken: Thank you.
Secretary Blinken: Thanks everyone.
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