Today, Council members yet again debated the latest developments in the Middle East, including the indescribable suffering of children in Gaza. Slovenia called for days of tranquility in Gaza in order to administer polio vaccines immediately and expressed its readiness for decisive Council action to reach the long-awaited ceasefire.

The war in Gaza continues to take a staggering toll on human life, especially children that are being deprived of food. “They face a cycle of endless violence and repetitive displacement. Without access to hospital care and psychological support. Over 20.000 children in Gaza are missing: lost, disappeared, detained or buried. They have been orphaned, maimed and killed at an unprecedented rate,” said Ambassador Samuel Žbogar to the Council.

Slovenia strongly supports the UN Secretary-General’s appeal for a polio pause as it is crucial to allow for two rounds of vaccination campaigns to take place. “This should also be the moment to flood Gaza with humanitarian aid and to carry out much-needed repairs to the health, water and sanitation systems,” added the Ambassador.

To alleviate human suffering in Gaza, lasting ceasefire must be reached. Slovenia reiterated its full support to the negotiators Egypt, Qatar and the United States to finalize a ceasefire deal within the next few days. As stressed by the Ambassador, Slovenia feels the pressure as well as the duty and responsibility to act meaningfully within the authority of the Council.

Given the region is on a brink, Ambassador Žbogar urged maximum restraint from all sides. He was clear that negative trends such as ongoing settlement policy, inflammatory rhetoric and provocations, further violence and the absence of steps towards the two state solution will not contribute to stopping the violence or ending the conflict.

The only way to overcome the human tragedy and despair in Gaza is a comprehensive political framework and the establishment of a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security. “And within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both. The United Nations will continue to support all efforts towards that goal,” concluded UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland in his remarks to the Council.

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