UN Urges Stronger Support on Solidarity Day for Palestinians

Children queue for food at a community kitchen in Deir al Balah, Gaza, prior to the ceasefire agreement.

For more than two years, tens of thousands of people have been killed in Gaza. The enclave is experiencing the worst economic collapse in its history, and even during a fragile ceasefire, children continue to die.

“At least 67 children have been killed since the ceasefire,” Annalena Baerbock, President of the UN General Assembly, said on Tuesday during an event marking the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

“The people in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have also endured unspeakable hardship amid Israeli military operations, settler violence, settlement expansion, evictions, and demolitions,” underscored Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet, speaking on behalf of the UN Secretary-General.

The International Day is observed annually on 29 November — the day in 1947 when the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to partition Palestine into two independent States, one Arab and one Jewish.

The UN stands by a simple truth: the Palestinian people have the right to dignity, justice, and self-determination, emphasised Mr Rattray.

Lifesaving humanitarian aid still needed

For millions of Palestinians, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, “remains a lifeline,” he said.

The international community must continue to support it, as the UN works toward the $4 billion target set by the Flash Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, he added.

The International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly have both affirmed that the long-standing occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal.

Gaza lies in ruins, with civilians — including children and women — among the dead and injured. Humanitarian workers and journalists have also been affected. Meanwhile, attacks increasingly target Palestinian farmers in the West Bank as they attempt to harvest their olive crops.

“Hope can become a reality. Hope that two peoples — bound by history, geography, and humanity — will live side by side in peace,” said Mr Rattray.

“On this International Day of Solidarity, let us turn that hope into action, and help the olive tree grow once more.”