UAE to UN: Arab Group says Israel's use of 'starvation as weapon of war is evident'

UAE Ambassador to the UN, Mohamed Abushahab has delivered the 22-member Arab Group statement on Israel's "deliberate use of starvation as a weapon of war" in Gaza at a UN Security Council briefing, calling it "starkly evident".

Highlighting the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza during Wednesday's meeting, the statement cited chaos at an aid distribution centre on Tuesday as evidence of the urgent need for full, unhindered access to aid across the Strip.

The statement from the Arab Group highlighted that 160,000 tonnes of food supplies remain stalled at border crossings since Israel lifted the 11-week aid blockade.

Only 408 trucks have been permitted to enter Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing, Abushahad said, adding that only 115 trucks have successfully delivered aid into Gaza.

"A drop in the ocean compared to Gaza's overwhelming humanitarian needs," the statement asserted, highlighting that over 2 million Palestinians continue to face severe shortages of food and medicine, with no aid reaching the northern Strip. 

The Group, which includes Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Sudan and Egypt, also rejected Israel's proposed aid mechanism, arguing it violates humanitarian principles. The Group urged Israel to implement the UN’s five-phase humanitarian aid plan without delay.

"Since Israel's breach of the ceasefire last March, the systematic destruction of hope and life for Palestinians in Gaza has persisted," Abushahab said. The statement referenced the case of Dr. Alaa Al-Najjar, a pediatrician at Nasser Hospital, who lost nine of her 10 children in an Israeli airstrike — a powerful example, the gGroup noted, of the human toll of the war.

The statement also expressed alarm over Israel’s continued military escalation in Gaza and the West Bank, the expansion of settlements, and changes to the legal and religious status quo at holy sites in Jerusalem. 

The Group reaffirmed its backing of the Arab plan for Gaza’s recovery, led by Egypt in coordination with Palestine and the UN, and called for international support ahead of an upcoming reconstruction conference in Cairo.

The UAE also called for the lifting of restrictions on UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, stressing its vital role in delivering aid and safeguarding refugee rights, including the right of return.

The Group urged the Council to support the Algerian-backed resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, protection of civilians and aid workers, and removal of barriers to humanitarian aid.

“Any delay will only exacerbate civilian suffering and cost more lives,” the statement concluded, calling on all countries to support efforts toward a two-state solution.