00:00Thank you, Mr. President.
00:03Mr. David, I want to thank you for your powerful and courageous testimony today.
00:10On behalf of Denmark, I wish to convey our deepest sympathies.
00:15What you and your family continue to endure is unimaginable.
00:19Your presence here today not only honors your loved one, but also sheds light on the profound
00:25human toll of this conflict.
00:28I would also like to extend my appreciation to Assistant Secretary Genka for your briefing,
00:33and I welcome His Excellency Foreign Minister Saar, as well as the permanent representative
00:38of the observer state of Palestine, to this meeting.
00:43Denmark expresses its sincere solidarity with the remaining 50 hostages who have been held
00:48captivity for 669 days, 669 days of waking nightmare, as you said it, Mr. David, deprived of their
00:59freedom and dignity, and used as human bargaining chips by Hamas.
01:05The recent images showing Rom Blaslavsky and Neviatar David in inhumane states are enormously distressing,
01:13and should be utterly condemned.
01:15We regret that the hostages have not been granted any humanitarian access to address their medical
01:20and other humanitarian needs, as required under international law.
01:25Our thoughts are with them and their families.
01:28We re-emphasize that hostage-taking is a war crime, and we reiterate our demand for the immediate,
01:34unconditional, safe, and dignified release of all remaining hostages.
01:39Mr. President, Denmark firmly condemns the heinous terrorist attacks on October 7th perpetrated
01:45by Hamas.
01:46The attack resulted in the deliberate targeting of civilians, the killing of over 1,200 people,
01:53in the adoption of more than 200 individuals, including women and children.
01:58Israel has every right to respond to such a brutal and barbaric attack.
02:02However, Israel's response must be exercised in compliance with international law and with
02:07full respect for international humanitarian law.
02:10This includes the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution, which are fundamental
02:16to protecting civilian lives.
02:18The fight against terrorism cannot come at the expense of the rules that safeguard our shared
02:23humanity.
02:24Denmark reiterates that any attempt by Israel to annex Palestinian land would be unacceptable
02:30and violate international law.
02:33What we are witnessing in Gaza is a catastrophic humanitarian situation that is unparalleled in
02:38its deprivation of basic human needs and attacks on civilians, civilian infrastructure, and humanitarian
02:44personnel.
02:46As we have heard from Assistant Secretary General Yen Cha, more than 60,000 Palestinians have
02:51been killed, and over 140,000 have been injured.
02:55IPC's recent report on food security warns us that the worst-case scenario is unfolding
03:01as we speak.
03:03Access to food and other essential items and services have plummeted to unprecedented levels,
03:08and Gaza is on the brink of a full-scale famine.
03:11Civilians are starving, not due to a lack of food, but due to decisions taken by Israel.
03:18We cannot continue to let this happen.
03:20International law is clear.
03:22Humanitarian aid should never be used as a bargaining chip or a political tool.
03:27Israel must immediately lift all restrictions to allow for the provision of safe, sustained,
03:32and unhindered humanitarian access in line with its obligation under international humanitarian
03:37law.
03:38Mr. President, the suffering has to end.
03:41We call for an immediate end to the war in Gaza, through an immediate and permanent cease-fire,
03:46unrestricted access for humanitarian aid, and the unconditional and immediate release
03:50of all hostages.
03:52A permanent cease-fire will lay the foundations to help unravel this nightmare unfolding before
03:57our eyes, for recovery, for the civilians trapped in this conflict, for the two-state solution
04:02to once again take center stage, and for the prospects of peace.
04:07These were also the messages that we heard during the high-level conference on the implementation
04:10of the two-state solution last week, where Denmark joined the vast majority of member states
04:15in voicing our steadfast support to a two-state solution.
04:20There is no better path to ending this conflict than two states, side by side, providing just
04:25and lasting peace for all, Israelis and Palestinians alike.
04:28For that to happen, the violence in Gaza must stop now.
04:33I thank you.
