00:00Thank you very much, Mr. President, and also we thank Assistant Secretary General Yencha
00:05for his briefing, and we acknowledge the presence of Foreign Minister Saar
00:11and the Permanent Representative of the State of Palestine in the meeting.
00:18We thank Eli David for sharing his deeply personal testimony.
00:24The images of your brother, Avatar, which were published days ago, are simply horrifying,
00:31and we feel and we share the pain, unbearable pain, of your family.
00:37We strongly condemn Hamas and Islamic Jihad for their cruelty towards the hostages.
00:44All images coming from Gaza these days of hostages and of malnourished children shock us to our core.
00:54They remind us of the unacceptable suffering of civilians one year and nine months into this war.
01:02And our public keeps asking what else needs to happen in Gaza for the world to move and stop this war.
01:12Slovenia reiterates today its call for the immediate, unconditional, and dignified release of all hostages.
01:19This has been our call from the beginning.
01:23International law is clear. Hostages taking is prohibited.
01:28Using their starved images as propaganda is simply barbaric.
01:32We once again condemn the heinous acts of Hamas and other terrorist groups of October 7.
01:41While in captivity, all hostages must be afforded humane treatment.
01:46They must receive the medical care and attention they so desperately require.
01:51And the ICRC should be granted immediate access to them.
01:55Colleagues, recognizing the suffering of the hostages does not diminish the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and vice versa.
02:07Recognizing the suffering of Palestinians does not diminish the suffering of the hostages.
02:14The suffering of all civilians caught in this war is intolerable.
02:20The humanity of the 21st century and this Council should not allow this type of inhumane treatment to continue.
02:30Mr. President, deliberate starvation is unlawful and morally unacceptable, wherever it happens and whoever perpetrates.
02:40All parties have obligations under international humanitarian law, and yet in Gaza, these obligations have been systematically and gravely violated with devastating consequences.
02:53We must be honest about the reality of the situation on the ground.
02:57And my Pakistani colleague has already quoted the IPC panel, which just last week raised an alarm that the worst-case scenario of famine and humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding before our eyes.
03:14Israel is obliged to facilitate humanitarian aid.
03:19Instead, the months-long Israeli blockade has led us to a point of moral outrage.
03:24We see with our own eyes how the vulnerable are suffering.
03:30Children, older persons, persons with disabilities, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and hostages.
03:39No one is immune.
03:42Small improvements and public proclamations of humanitarian pauses are way past due, and simply not enough.
03:49We demand immediate, safe, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale to the population of Gaza.
03:59The UN and humanitarians must be able to do their life-saving work safely and securely.
04:07They have proven that they can deliver, if only they are allowed to do their job.
04:12We also appeal, once again, for the establishment of a corridor to facilitate medical evacuations of patients from Gaza to hospitals in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
04:25Mr. President, each human being has inherent dignity and value.
04:30In the midst of tragedy and chaos, we must never allow ourselves to deny the human element of this crisis.
04:37We must never allow ourselves to deny the human element of this crisis.
05:07We must never allow ourselves to deny the human element of this crisis.
05:08We must never allow ourselves to deny the human element of this crisis.
05:09In a competition of pain, there are no winners.
05:13We recall how during the ceasefire early this year, we witnessed scenes of hostages being reunited with their families,
05:19of aid at scale moving through crossings, of Palestinian children returning to school,
05:24of families returning to their homes even if only rubble was left behind.
05:28We hold on the hope that this can once again become a reality.
05:35We need an immediate ceasefire and an end to the suffering of hostages and civilians alike.
05:43Slovenia urges all parties to recommit to ceasefire talks.
05:47Slovenia firmly rejects any plans to expand military operations in Gaza, which would seriously endanger civilians, including hostages, and compound the humanitarian catastrophe.
06:00There is no military solution to this suffering.
06:04Experience has shown that it brings us no closer to peace, freedom, or security for Palestinians or for Israelis.
06:12A lasting ceasefire must be secured.
06:15A ceasefire gives desperate relief to all in Gaza, living under relentless bombardment.
06:22A ceasefire brings hostages home.
06:25A ceasefire puts food on tables.
06:27And a ceasefire provides space for a political horizon towards a two-state solution.
06:33We must renew our demand for a ceasefire now.
06:39Thank you very much.
06:42Go ahead.
06:43Bye.
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