The UK’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador James Kariuki, delivered the statement at a UN Security Council meeting on Children in Gaza Thursday. Kariuki expressed deep concern over the conflict’s devastating impact on children, highlighting that a third of identified bodies are those of children and that at least 25,000 children have sustained injuries. He also emphasized the profound psychological toll the conflict has taken on children in Gaza, noting that nearly half of the Palestinian children surveyed by one NGO in late 2024 reported feeling suicidal. This statistic is truly shocking.
The UK has expressed solidarity with both Palestinians and Israelis, hoping that the ceasefire and hostage release agreement will bring lasting peace after 15 months of conflict marked by violence and terror attacks. The press release noted that children have borne a disproportionate burden, with nearly 19,000 of them being hospitalized for acute malnutrition in the last four months of 2024.
The UK welcomed news that aid is now flowing into Gaza at scale and acknoledged the work by UNRWA. Kariuki stated that this must continue, and that humanitarian actors must be allowed safe and unfettered access throughout Gaza, including the north. He added that alongside this, a massive increase in commercial delivery is needed.