The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Aid Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, called on members of the Security Council to take “urgent measures” to stop the war in Gaza, expressing “serious concerns” about the forced displacement of Palestinians to other countries, and this is “absolutely prohibited.” Under international law.

At the beginning of the session requested by Algeria, as the only Arab member of the Security Council, to discuss Israeli threats to displace Palestinians from Gaza, Griffiths spoke and first pointed to the passage of about a hundred days of war that “is taking place with almost no regard for its impact on civilians,” describing the situation. In Gaza, he described it as “horrifying as Israeli military operations continue unabated.”

He cited as evidence the “tens of thousands of deaths and injuries, the vast majority of them women and children,” since October 7, in addition to “the forced displacement of 1.9 million civilians.” That is equivalent to 85 percent of the total population.

He said: “It is very unfortunate that facilities vital to the survival of the civilian population are subjected to relentless attacks,” adding that Israel bombed 134 facilities belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in which 148 of its workers and non-governmental organizations were killed. government in Gaza.

The chief UN official for humanitarian affairs stressed that “there is no safe place in Gaza,” stressing that “a decent human life has become almost impossible,” adding that Rafah, whose population before the crisis was only about 280,000 people, is now home to one million displaced people. “And more continue to arrive every day.”

He stressed that “it is currently difficult to imagine that people will or can return to the north.” He acknowledged that “our efforts to send humanitarian convoys to the north were met with delays, rejection, and impossible conditions,” citing colleagues who were able to reach northern Gaza recently, what he called “scenes of absolute horror,” where “corpses are scattered on the road, and people who show clear signs of starvation are stopped.” 

While he said that providing humanitarian aid throughout Gaza is “almost impossible,” he stressed that “our possibility of reaching Khan Yunis and the central region is largely absent.” As for the south, “expanding the attack on Rafah would represent a serious challenge to the already exhausted humanitarian operations.”

He warned that “the spread of hostilities towards the south would significantly increase the pressure on the mass exodus of people to neighboring countries,” revealing that some countries “have already offered to host civilians who wish to leave Gaza for their protection.”

He expressed “deep concern” about recent statements by Israeli ministers regarding plans to encourage the mass transfer of civilians from Gaza to third countries under the slogan of “voluntary transfer,” explaining that these statements “raise serious concerns about the possibility of forced mass transfer or forced deportation of the Palestinian population from the Gaza Strip.” “This is strictly prohibited under international law.”

Referring to the Hamas attacks on October 7 and their results, Griffiths expressed “deep concern about the risk of the war spreading to the regional level,” noting the “increase in tension and hostilities” in the West Bank.

He warned of “increasing tensions and military activity in Lebanon, the Red Sea and Yemen,” adding that “we cannot allow this matter to spread.” Fearing “unimaginable consequences.” He called on the Security Council to take “urgent measures to end this war.”

The US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that her country “completely rejects” the statements of some Israeli ministers and representatives calling for the displacement of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.

Her Russian counterpart, Vasily Nebenzia, stressed that “Israel’s indiscriminate use of force in the Gaza Strip is linked to many serious violations of international law.” He considered that the United States and its allies “expanded the scope of the conflict to include the entire region after the attacks on Yemen.”