EB158 - EU statement - Item 21 - Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem
WHO
158th session of the Executive Board
Item 21: Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem
EU Statement
Chair,
I have the honour of speaking on behalf of the European Union and its 27 Member States.
The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova[1] and Georgia, the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Armenia align themselves with this statement.
We would like to thank the Director-General for the report on “Health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem”, which outlines public health implications of the humanitarian crisis.
WHO has been instrumental in supporting the people of Gaza, who have been suffering in the current crisis. We thank WHO, in particular its ever committed team in oPt, for their incredible work and dedication. We welcome that WHO has been scaling up operations, since a ceasefire took effect across the Gaza Strip, to support life-saving health services, strengthen readiness to meet urgent needs and support the early recovery of the severely damaged health system. Ensuring access to healthcare, safeguarding patients, healthcare workers, hospitals and medical transport, addressing malnutrition and communicable disease outbreaks, providing mental health and psychosocial support remains essential.
To further alleviate the dire humanitarian situation, we continue to call for immediate, unimpeded and safe access and sustained distribution of humanitarian aid at scale into and throughout Gaza. The work of the UN and its agencies, as well as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the relevant international NGOs, must be facilitated in line with the humanitarian principles. With much of the medical system destroyed, these organizations continue to play an indispensable role in the provision of medical services.
Medical evacuations of patients from Gaza should be facilitated, which requires additional evacuation routes, access to hospitals in East Jerusalem and the Westbank and the ability for patients to voluntarily return to Gaza. Moreover, medical assistance, as well as the restoring of healthcare facilities remains crucial.
The European Union will continue to support the Palestinian Authority, including in its ongoing reform and with a view to its return to Gaza. The EU and its Member States also remain the largest provider of humanitarian aid for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, having mobilized €1.7 billion since 2023.
The European Union stands ready to continue to support peace in Gaza, through its humanitarian, security, diplomatic and cooperations tools, and to work together with partners on the implementation of the comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
Thank you
[1] North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.