US working closely with Egypt, Qatar to end Gaza war: US representative to UN Linda Thomas

CAIRO – 17 July 2024: Gaza negotiations are trending in the right direction, US representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said, adding that the US is working in close cooperation with Egypt and Qatar to get this deal done, and bring an end to this war.

Speaking at a UNSC session on the situation in the Middle East, she said it is also vital that the United Nations and humanitarian agencies have the resources and support needed to surge additional aid, some 600 trucks worth, every single day, into Gaza as soon as that deal takes effect.

Until then, it remains the United States’ view that Israel must take additional immediate steps to eliminate barriers to the delivery of aid at scale.

We thank those countries in the region, including Egypt, and Jordan, and Cyprus, who have enabled aid delivery to Gaza through their territory, and we hope all of them can do more to help meet the staggering need in this critical moment.

While we have seen progress addressing longstanding requests from the United Nations and humanitarian organizations, other requests, particularly related to communications equipment vital for deconfliction processes, remain unresolved.

We urge the Government of Israel to work with the UN to overcome these and other roadblocks.

Palestinian civilians are living in hell. Over and over, they have had to flee from one place to another in search of safety.

As the latest IPC report made devastatingly clear, hundreds of thousands live in fear that they won’t be able to find their next meal.

And so many people have lost parents and siblings, children and friends, including in a recent IDF strike on a UN-supported school in Nuseirat camp.

Finalizing and implementing the ceasefire deal on the table is the best way to alleviate this suffering.

We are also hopeful that a ceasefire in Gaza would assist diplomacy aimed at de-escalating the situation along the Blue Line, which is necessary to enable displaced people in Israel and Lebanon to return home.

We also reiterate our concern over Israel’s recent announcement expanding settlements, declaring expansive “state lands” and legalizing outposts. Unilateral actions, like the Government of Israel’s settlement program, are inconsistent with international law and detrimental to a two-state solution.