Jordanian Foreign Minister attributes deterioration of Palestinian children's conditions to failure to use international law tools

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on Wednesday attributed the continued deterioration of the situation of Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to the failure to utilize the tools provided by international law to uphold humanitarian principles and shared values, and to combat injustice and persecution.

Safadi made these remarks during a speech at a United Nations meeting organized by Jordan, the European Union, and Belgium, which focused on the worsening conditions of Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza, and the need to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to them, on the sidelines of the high-level week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.

Safadi opened his address by calling on participants to observe a minute of silence in mourning for “the lives of all Palestinian children lost due to the war and aggression by Israel.”

He emphasized the necessity of implementing the peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump and stressed the importance of allowing humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians.

He noted that UN staff are making every effort and risking their lives to carry out their humanitarian duties, despite facing enormous obstacles that hinder their work.

For his part, Christian Saunders, Acting Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said that the call to action launched by the meeting is “simply a call to protect the future of Palestinian children.”

Saunders warned that children in the Gaza Strip will bear the psychological and physical scars caused by the war for many years, noting that they have lost valuable time in their education that “cannot be recovered.”

He added that many children in Gaza live without the safety provided by a home, or the ability to access nutritious food and the healthcare they need.

Regarding the West Bank, the UN official said that many children continue to face violence and insecurity, with their education disrupted, while many families live in fear of displacement and losing their homes.