UN aid chief: Gaza survivors must be restored to dignity, not just kept alive

Fragile gains still fall short, Fletcher says

Fletcher acknowledged that the flow of aid into Gaza has improved since a ceasefire on October 10, saying an average of 100 deliveries entered the Palestinian territory each day. He warned, however, that these advances are inadequate.

In his address he said:

“these fragile gains are the bare minimum of what Palestinians need and what we can provide – and what international law demands.”

Beyond survival: restore dignity

Fletcher argued that the international response must aim higher than keeping children alive. He said:

“We cannot allow the summit of our ambition and our will to be a world where children have sufficient calories to survive and are spared constant bombing, yet remain hungry, bitten by rats, homeless and out of school.”

He added:

“It is not enough to silence the weapons – we must restore dignity.”

Calls to open crossings and lift restrictions

Fletcher specifically called for the opening of all crossing points into Gaza and the immediate lifting of Israeli restrictions on the entry of goods such as medical equipment and fuel.

NGO plea at the Security Council

Speaking at the same meeting, Bushra Khalidi, a humanitarian officer with the NGO Oxfam, urged member states to act with:

“urgency, with courage, with humanity.”