Statement by H.E. Ambassador YAMANAKA Osamu, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, at the Security Council Briefing on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question (Women and Children)

Mr. President,

I thank the Executive Directors of UN Women, UNICEF, and UNFPA for their briefings.

Japan is deeply concerned with the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza at an unprecedented level. There are no words to explain this horror. Most of the people in Gaza have now been displaced, desperately searching for food, water, medicine, and shelter.

Today, we just heard the dire and inhumane conditions confronting women and children in Gaza, who are forced to live in such vulnerable situations. Premature babies are dying as critical systems shut down, and women are giving birth in unimaginable conditions. As the Executive Director of UN Women just described, women and children are facing disproportionate impacts of the war.

More than three thousand women have been reportedly killed in Gaza. An estimated 575,000 women and adolescent girls of reproductive age are also facing critical gaps in their access to health services including sexual and reproductive health services. This has resulted in births without adequate care, and premature infants’ deaths.  In this context, Japan would also like to reaffirm the importance of ensuring the protection of medical and humanitarian personnel exclusively engaged in medical duties in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2286.

The children in Gaza too are facing extremely challenging conditions. As the Secretary-General put it last week, Gaza is becoming a “graveyard for children.”

More than 4,500 children have been reportedly killed and over 6,800 children reportedly injured to date, with over 400 children being killed or injured every single day. Many children are believed to be trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Mr. President,

It is profoundly distressing to learn that women and children account for nearly 70% of the death toll in Gaza. No other place on earth is as horrifying as Gaza right now. All parties to the conflict must remember the grave impacts of armed conflict that those women, children and their families must endure for many years to come.

The protection of women and children must be prioritized, and they must be provided with essential humanitarian assistance such as food, water and medicine continuously. In this regard, full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access must be ensured in line with international humanitarian law and the newly adopted Security Council resolution 2712. Japan welcomes this resolution and calls for all parties to act faithfully based on it.

Mr. President,

Many women and children are among the victims and the hostages subject to the acts of terror committed by Hamas in Israel. Japan demands the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages. We once again express unequivocal condemnation of the horrifying terror attacks committed by Hamas and other Palestinian militants. At the same time, we call for all parties to act in accordance with international law including international humanitarian law.

Mr. President,

In this regard, Japan welcomes the recently announced deal for the release of hostages and a pause in fighting for four days as an important move toward the release of further hostages and improvement of the humanitarian situation, and commends the efforts undertaken by the countries concerned. We expect the deal to be implemented in a steady and timely manner.

Mr. President,

Lastly, I would like to emphasize that no military action can resolve this conflict.
 
Diplomatic negotiations must be relaunched, leading to a two-state solution with Israel and a future independent State of Palestine living side by side in peace and security. Also, the concept of WPS has shown that we can move closer to sustaining peace by having women actively participate as leaders in conflict resolution, reconstruction, and peacebuilding, while protecting and helping women and girls. A WPS perspective must be ensured when working to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and to calm down the situation as soon as possible, as well as in the subsequent recovery and reconstruction.

Japan will work tirelessly to this end.

I thank you, Mr. President.