A child helps pitch a tent after it collapses during heavy rain in the Gaza Strip. UN chief welcomes resolution to create international force in Gaza Peace and Security
The UN Secretary-General welcomed the adoption by the Security Council of a resolution on the creation of the International Stabilization Force in Gaza. He called this an important step towards “consolidating the ceasefire regime.” Meanwhile, UN humanitarian agencies warn that many Palestinian children in the enclave will not be able to withstand another difficult winter.
“We really hope that peace initiatives will change the situation for the better,” UNICEF spokesman Ricardo Pires told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.
“But, again, the reality for children on the ground remains extremely tragic,” he added. he.
Representative of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Jens Laerke, commenting on the Security Council resolution based on the US peace plan, noted that so far everything remains “at the level of hypotheses” and that the document lacks specifics.
A resolution in support of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, announced by US President Donald Trump on September 29, was approved by 13 Security Council members. China and Russia abstained.
“Peace Council” and Interim International Force
The resolution welcomes the creation of a transitional administration called the “Peace Council”, which will reportedly be led by President Trump. This structure will coordinate reconstruction efforts in Gaza, including the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The plan also states that the United States will cooperate with Arab and international partners in the creation of an interim International Stabilization Force.
In a statement issued by his press service last night, the UN Secretary-General called on all parties to the conflict to respect the ceasefire fire.
Guterres noted the “ongoing diplomatic efforts” of Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, the United States and other countries to resolve the crisis, stressing the importance of moving to the second phase of the American plan, which should lead to a political process to achieve a two-state solution “in accordance with previous UN resolutions.” winter
Meanwhile in Gaza, aid groups stressed on Tuesday that two years of devastating war between Hamas and Israel, coupled with a chronic shortage of humanitarian aid, have left the Strip’s population in dire straits.
There have been heavy rains in the enclave in recent days. They flooded the worn-out tents that house many families displaced multiple times by the fighting, said Ricardo Pires, a spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“We see heartbreaking examples: desperate families, confused and exhausted, their tents submerged in water,” he said. “For children traumatized by war, sleeping in wet tents, without warm clothes, without dry blankets, and with weakened immune systems, winter becomes an extremely dangerous experience.” movements.
He explained that since Israeli forces control more than 50 percent of the enclave, many of the areas to which Gazans are being relocated are located on the coast – which is the area most susceptible to flooding.
Gaza receives more aid
A UNICEF representative called for increased access to the sector for humanitarian convoys, recalling that this is “part of the peace agreements.”
According to OCHA, more than 5,400 tons of aid, including shelter, medicine and food, were delivered from Thursday to Sunday. Since the opening of the Zikim checkpoint, there are already three checkpoints in Gaza.
“More, much more [humanitarian aid] is needed,” Pires emphasized. “And we hope that with the new plan, this will become a reality for children and their families.”