Algeria, Russia, and China call for urgent access of aid to the Gaza Strip

Algeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ammar Benjameh, called for speedy access of aid to northern Gaza to avoid complete famine in the Strip.

Bin Jama said in a speech during a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the issue of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza: “Hunger and malnutrition have caused a catastrophic crisis in Gaza… To avoid complete famine, we need to quickly secure the arrival of aid to the northern Gaza Strip.”

He explained that last December, the Security Council adopted a resolution to establish a mechanism to manage the procedures for the arrival of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, but events and facts proved the ineffectiveness of this resolution.

Bin Jama pointed out that actors in the humanitarian field are experiencing difficulties in reaching Gaza, stressing that “the Zionist occupation’s deliberate policy of using starvation as one of the tools of war has prevented humanitarian aid from reaching the Strip. The destruction of the Rafah crossing, which is now out of service, cannot be justified, nor can the bureaucratic obstacles imposed by the occupation forces on the arrival of humanitarian aid be justified.

In turn, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, confirmed that the floating dock that the Americans built off the coast of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid did not live up to the required level.

Nebenzia pointed out, “Russia believes that instead of building such an expensive facility, Washington could have put pressure on Israel to ease its siege of Gaza and allow the entry of truly large amounts of aid”.

China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Fu Cong, called on the Israeli occupation to respond to the call of the international community to ensure the rapid and safe entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza.

Cong said: The people of Gaza are suffering from hunger, disease, pain and despair, describing the situation as a disaster and a serious violation of international law.

Fu criticized the closure of the Rafah crossing due to the Israeli occupation attacks, which left thousands of trucks packed with humanitarian supplies waiting in long lines, in addition to obstructing humanitarian supplies and the challenges faced by humanitarian workers. He stressed that the main way to mitigate the humanitarian catastrophe is through a permanent ceasefire and the international community’s continued efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state.

Souha Suleiman