Eighty UN member states issue demand for protection of civilians in conflict

Joint statement comes amid growing concerns over thousands of Palestinians in Gaza threatened with starvation

Palestinians queue at a food distribution point in a displacement camp near Gaza City's port on Thursday. AFP

Eighty UN member states issued a joint statement on Thursday demanding urgent protection for civilians in armed conflicts.

There has been growing concerns over thousands of Palestinians in Gaza threatened with starvation amid the trickle of aid being allowed into the territory by Israel.

“The protection of civilians is not optional. It is a legal obligation under international humanitarian law and a moral imperative we cannot afford to neglect,” the statement said. “In the face of deepening conflict and disregard for civilian life in too many regions, we call upon all parties to armed conflict to respect international humanitarian law in all circumstances.”

Palestinians struggle to get donated food at a community kitchen in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip. AP

Displaced Palestinians reach out with pans to collect cooked food from a community food kitchen in Jabalia. Bloomberg

International pressure has mounted on Israel to restart aid. Bloomberg

Supplies of donated food are running short. AP

An aid truck at the Kerem Shalom crossing after the Israeli cabinet approved the entry of nine aid trucks into Gaza. EPA

Aid loaded on one of three World Food Programme aid trucks crossing into Gaza at Kerem Shalom. EPA

Trucks loaded with aid continue to wait in the Egyptian city of Al Arish, 45 kilometres west of the Gaza border. Reuters

A Palestinian staff member inspects the medicine warehouse in Nasser Hospital after an Israeli strike in Khan Younis. Reuters

It added that civilians in armed conflicts live under unthinkable conditions of "constant danger, insecurity and suffering".

The statement, released before an open debate on civilian protection in armed conflict, emphasised that compliance with humanitarian law is “the baseline – not an aspiration, but a binding commitment".

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, who briefed the council on the topic, said that despite the lessons of history and clear legal commitments, “some parties to conflict have committed flagrant violations of the rules of war”.

“Humanitarian aid was even used as a bargaining chip to pressure parties and populations,” he said.

Mr Fletcher warned this week that 14,000 babies in Gaza are at risk of dying from starvation amid Israel’s continuing military offensive in the enclave.

Despite Israel lifting its blockade, UN aid deliveries into Gaza remain severely restricted.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday that about 90 lorries had delivered nutritional supplies, flour, medicine and other critical humanitarian aid to several destinations in Gaza after a three-day delay due to a lack of security along the one access route that the Israeli military had approved.

An assessment by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said that half a million Palestinians will face starvation in the coming months.

Greece’s Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis called on the UN Security Council to take urgent action to address the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying the international community has a collective responsibility to protect children and uphold human dignity.

“The current situation in Gaza brings us face to face with our responsibilities,” said Mr Gerapetritis, who chaired the council’s open debate.

He urged the council to ensure the immediate, full and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid into all parts of Gaza, and said Greece, which holds the council presidency this month, would use the monthly meeting on the Middle East on May 28 to focus attention on the urgent humanitarian situation in Gaza.

On behalf of the Arab Group, Algeria on Thursday circulated a draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding the immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the access of humanitarian aid into and its distribution throughout the Gaza Strip.

The one-page draft resolution is expected to be put to a vote on May 28.

A Palestinian woman carries a toddler through the destruction after Israeli strikes in Jabalia, the northern Gaza, on May 22. AFP