“The return of confirmed polio cases in Gaza is a clear and present threat to the health of the most vulnerable Palestinian civilians,” said Ambassador Robert Wood, U.S. Alternative Representative for Special Political Affairs at the UN Security Council.
“There is no doubt as to the threat that polio represents to the region, and the importance of establishing the conditions needed to urgently implement a vaccination campaign throughout Gaza,” said Ambassador Wood.
“For that reason, the United States is grateful to the UN for its leadership, and urges all parties to support a safe and successful campaign. We continue to support coordination between the humanitarian community and Israeli authorities to facilitate swift implementation of a vaccination campaign in Gaza. Secretary Blinken raised this during his recent visit to Israel. It is vital that this campaign be implemented without delay.”
Ambassador Wood urged Israel to “facilitate access for agencies carrying out the vaccination campaign and for it to ensure periods of calm and refrain from military operations during vaccination campaign periods.”
“The bottom line is that humanitarians on the ground, including UN agencies and other NGOs, must be provided the space and security conditions to distribute vaccines and inoculate the at-risk population and to do so safely,” he said.
“Even as we press all parties to facilitate life-saving work, we must not ignore how Hamas’ actions continue to put civilians, including humanitarian personnel and their families at risk,” noted Ambassador Wood.
At the same time, the United States is alarmed by reports that Israeli Defense Forces, or IDF, fired repeatedly on a World Food Program vehicle. Israel has said it is investigating this most recent incident and their initial review has said it was a result of a communication error between IDF units. “We have urged them to immediately rectify the issues within their system that allowed this to happen,” said Ambassador Wood.
In the meantime, the international community needs to contribute funds to support the life-saving work of humanitarian organizations in Gaza.
“The best course to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians and of Israelis awaiting the safe return of their family members, is to finalize and implement a ceasefire,” said Ambassador Wood. “The time is now.”
