Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy
Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council
meeting on Children in Gaza.
First, following the terror attacks of 7 October and 15 months of
appalling conflict, we stand with Palestinians and Israelis in
relief and hope that the ceasefire and hostage release deal can
bring lasting peace.
The children of Gaza did not choose this war, yet they have paid
the ultimate price.
A third of identified bodies are children.
At least 25,000 children are thought to have also sustained
injuries. And in the last four months of 2024, nearly 19,000
children were hospitalised with acute malnutrition.
Gaza has become the deadliest place in the world to be a child.
The psychological scars of fear, pain and deprivation are
clear.
Nearly half the Palestinian children surveyed by one NGO in late
2024 expressed a desire to die.
That is a truly shocking statistic. We must ensure that the needs
of children are front and centre of efforts to rebuild in Gaza.
As this Council heard in September from Dr Harlev of the
Schneider Children's Medical Center, the events of 7 October also
exacted a dreadful toll on Israeli children, who were killed,
gravely injured and abducted.
Some of whom have still not returned to their loved ones.
It is unimaginably cruel of Hamas to take children hostage, and
still to be holding them a full fifteen months later.
They must be released.
Second, President, we welcome news that aid is now flowing in at
scale.
And as USG Fletcher said, this must continue. Humanitarian actors
must be allowed safe and unfettered access throughout Gaza,
including the north and alongside this we need to see a massive
increase in commercial delivery.
The rollout of the polio vaccine to children in Gaza last year
was an example of what can be achieved when there is political
will.
We urge the parties to enter this new phase in that same spirit
and to prioritise those in desperate need.
The ceasefire deal should be an opportunity to get more, not
less, aid in.
And for this reason, my Foreign Secretary has urged Israel to
ensure UNRWA can continue its lifesaving operations and give the
fragile ceasefire the best chance of success.
Finally, the conflict has meant that the 1.1 million children of
Gaza have been out of school for over 15 months.
We cannot allow a generation of Palestinians to be deprived of
education and their right to a better future.
To do so risks further suffering and a continued cycle of
violence.
This is in neither Palestinian nor Israeli interests.
Once again, UNRWA plays a crucial role here. We must ensure its
delivery of essential services such as education and healthcare
can continue until such time as a Palestinian state can take over
these functions.
President, in conclusion, this Council has a clear Children and
Armed Conflict mandate to ensure that we protect children from
the scourge of war and violence, wherever that may be.
And yet grave violations against children are at an all-time
high. We must do much more to reverse this appalling trajectory.
We call on all parties to adopt and implement concrete and time
bound action plans to end and prevent grave violations against
children.
The UK will do all we can to turn the current ceasefire in Gaza
into a lasting peace based on a two-state solution, where
Palestinian and Israeli children alike, can enjoy a safe and
prosperous future.
