Secretary Antony J. Blinken At the “Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza” Conference – United States Department of State

Secretary Blinken: Well, thank you. And hello, folks.

We are grateful to King Abdullah, President al-Sisi, Secretary-General Guterres for organizing this conference and for their tireless efforts to help end this conflict and to provide assistance to children, women and men in desperate need.

As we all know, as we’ve all been discussing throughout the day, the crisis in Gaza is enormous. In the past month alone, more than a million people have been displaced from Rafah – many of whom have already been displaced multiple times.

95 percent of the people there do not have access to clean drinking water. There is hunger everywhere. Almost everyone in Gaza depends on aid to survive.

Much of Gaza’s sanitation system has been destroyed. Fewer than a dozen of Gaza’s 40 hospitals remain open.

And – as we know and have heard – more than 270 humanitarian workers have been killed.

One of these humanitarians was Jamal Abu Kwaik, a longtime UNRWA employee in Gaza and for many years the US’ main local contact – and to many, a friend. He was killed after evacuating Rafah last month. He was seeking shelter for his family. He is survived by his wife and four children.

The most effective step we can take to address the immediate humanitarian challenges in Gaza is an immediate – and eventually permanent – ​​ceasefire.

Eleven days ago, President Biden laid out a sweeping proposal to do just that.

In its first six weeks, the proposal would include a complete ceasefire; the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza; the release of many hostages – including women, the elderly and the wounded; a dramatic increase in aid deliveries; the return of civilians to their homes or neighborhoods in all parts of Gaza. And it would also begin negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.

The second phase would see all remaining hostages released; all Israeli forces withdrawn from Gaza; hostilities would be permanently ended. And the final phase would see a massive reconstruction effort begin in Gaza.

When I met Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel yesterday, he reiterated his support and commitment to finalising this proposal.

That same day, yesterday, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution sponsored by the United States in support of the resolution. Fourteen members voted in favor. No country opposed it. This is the latest vote of support the resolution has received from around the world, from virtually everyone around this table, the Arab League, countries throughout the region.

Today, as we gather together, there is only one thing standing in the way of this agreement, and that is Hamas.

So my first and primary message today is to every government, every multilateral institution, every humanitarian organization that wants to alleviate the massive suffering in Gaza: Get Hamas to compromise. Pressure them publicly. Pressure them privately.

And Hamas doesn’t need much convincing. After all, this proposal is almost identical to the one Hamas presented on May 6.

Having said that, we have gathered today because I believe we all understand the imperative to take bold, immediate action to help civilians in Gaza, and to do it now. And here are some thoughts on how we can do that going forward.

First, provide more aid. You may have already heard this from our colleagues at the United Nations. Only a third of the UN’s current appeal is funded. That leaves a shortfall of about $2.3 billion. Every country can help fill this gap.

Yet some who have expressed deep concern over the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza – including countries with the capacity to give much – have given little or nothing at all. It is time for everyone – everyone – to step up.

And those who have already given and are giving generously, should give more.

The United States has been the largest single provider of assistance to the Palestinians for decades. Today, I am announcing an additional $404 million in new assistance to the Palestinians, on top of the more than $1.8 billion in development, economic, and humanitarian assistance we have already provided so far in 2021.

Second, let us work together to make sure that more aid gets to Gaza, and once it gets to Gaza, that it gets to those who need it most – by land, by air, by sea.

This has been our special focus ever since the conflict began.

Especially in recent months, Israel has taken some important steps to remove obstacles to delivering aid and to open more crossings. But it can and should do more.

As we have told the Israeli government directly, it is vital to speed up truck inspections and reduce backlogs; shorten the list of banned items and provide more clarity about them; increase the number of visas for aid workers and process them more quickly; create clearer and more effective channels for humanitarian groups to de-conflict with IDF operations; increase the supply of lifesaving medicines and equipment; and provide everything needed to repair water and sanitation systems.

And Israel must take further steps to minimize civilian casualties — even as it faces an enemy that began this war with a barbaric massacre of civilians on October 7, an enemy that operates from schools, hospitals, camps for displaced families, an enemy that operates behind or under the guise of those it claims to represent.

I think we all know there is no time to waste, as millions of Palestinians face hell every day.

Ten-year-old Abed lost his parents, brother and other family members. They were killed in an airstrike targeting terrorists. He said, “When my parents were alive, I used to sleep. [Now] I can’t sleep anymore.”

An acronym has become common in Gaza for children like Abed: WCNSF, which stands for wounded child, no surviving family member.

Six-year-old Fadi has cystic fibrosis. When the conflict began, his parents were unable to provide him with the food and medicine he needed to stay healthy. Before he was evacuated from Gaza to the United States last month, he was so malnourished that his legs could no longer bear his body weight.

Eleven-year-old Dunya – she lost her parents, brother and sister when their home in Khan Yunis was destroyed. She said: I lost my leg. I lost my family, but I still have dreams. I want to have a prosthetic leg. I want to travel. I want to become a doctor. I want this war to end and for our children to live in peace.

These three children – Abed, Fadi, Dunya – and all the Palestinian civilians suffering in Gaza, we know they are not numbers. They are not abstractions. They are human beings – they are children, they are women, they are men – who all want the same things we want for ourselves and for our loved ones, just like the people killed in Israel on October 7, just like the people still held hostage in Gaza today.

So we must all recommit to doing our part to ensure that these individuals not only survive, but live in peace; that their rights are respected; that they have the opportunity to realize their dreams.

And we have to commit to something else. We have to work together to remove the poison from our shared well, the poison of dehumanization – the inability to see the humanity in another.

When that happens, when hearts harden to such an extent on all sides, the worst becomes possible and the best becomes very difficult to achieve. But – but – if we can see the humanity in everyone and commit to doing everything possible to preserve that humanity, then everything is possible.

So let’s do more than just demand a better future for Palestinians and Israelis. Let’s help forge that path to the future, let’s do it together.

And we can start by maximizing all the efforts we are putting into helping those who need it, and helping them now.

Thank you very much. (Applause)