Athena Rayburn speaks at the UN Security Council. Photo: UN
Gaza Strip: Athena Rayburn, Executive Director of the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), said Israeli restrictions had pushed humanitarian operations in Gaza to “an absolute breaking point”.
Speaking at the UN Security Council on Wednesday, August 26, Rayburn said essential items, including scissors, crutches, wheelchairs and prosthetic limbs, were being rejected as “dual-use”, while medical specialists faced restrictions on entering the enclave.
She said severe limits on engine oil had driven its price to 45 times normal levels, further crippling aid operations.
Rayburn also said Israel had blocked food items, including watermelons and onions, under an unpublished “humanitarian policy”. She said Israeli authorities had deregistered more than 30 international aid organisations and restricted access to at least 85 water points, schools and health clinics.
The restrictions, she argued, showed why the entry of aid alone should not be seen as evidence that Gaza’s humanitarian crisis was easing.
Referring to the latest IPC assessment, Rayburn said Gaza had moved back from what she called an “engineered famine”, but warned that this did not mean Palestinians were safe from hunger, violence or the long-term consequences of deprivation.
“What is needed is sustained humanitarian access, delivery of basic services, recovery and the creation of conditions in which people in Gaza can begin to live rather than just survive the next 24 hours,” she said.
Rayburn also accused the Board of Peace of failing to protect Palestinians, saying its performance should be judged by whether it provided immediate civilian protection and advanced their right to self-determination.
“By these basic measures, the Board of Peace is failing,” she said.
She urged Security Council members to conduct an urgent mission to Gaza rather than relying solely on briefings.
“I do not ask you to take our professional assessment on trust. Instead, exercise your powers of inquiry and come and see for yourselves,” Rayburn said.
US Ambassador Mike Waltz criticised Rayburn’s briefing for not addressing allegations of abuses by Hamas.
Waltz cited UN reports containing allegations of torture and accused Hamas of using hospitals and schools for military purposes. He also said Hamas leaders and fighters were not experiencing the hunger faced by ordinary Palestinians in Gaza.
The briefing also heard warnings from Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, that conditions in Gaza remained unacceptable despite the 10-month-old ceasefire.
He said around two-thirds of the enclave remained inaccessible and called for the removal of obstacles affecting humanitarian operations. The UN’s 2026 humanitarian appeal, he added, was only 40 per cent funded.
With stocks of shelter materials and other essential supplies depleted, Alakbarov warned that Gaza could face another devastating winter.
“Gaza should not face another winter in cold tents,” he said.
Nickolay Mladenov, High Representative for the Board of Peace, also criticised Israel’s policy on shelter as “not acceptable” and called for improved shelter to be allowed into Gaza.
He warned that continued uses of force not linked to an immediate threat could inflict lasting damage on efforts to advance the peace process.
Israel said it remained committed to US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Gaza conflict but insisted that Hamas must first disarm.
Israeli Deputy Permanent Representative Noa Furman said humanitarian assistance could not by itself provide long-term security and stability.
She said Israel was working with partners to improve deliveries of food, medical equipment, shelter materials and sanitation supplies, while preparing Gaza for winter.
“The civilians of Gaza are not Israel’s enemy,” Furman said.
She accused Hamas of rebuilding its military capabilities, exploiting civilian infrastructure and violating the ceasefire, adding that around 600 aid trucks had entered Gaza daily since the truce began.
Qatar’s Ambassador Alya Ahmed Saif al-Thani, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said a just, comprehensive and durable peace could not be achieved without ending Israel’s occupation.
She said Palestinians’ right to self-determination must be upheld and welcomed growing international recognition of the State of Palestine.
The Qatari ambassador condemned what she described as continuing Israeli violations across the occupied Palestinian territory and said Israel’s rejection of the Comprehensive Plan and a Palestinian state threatened efforts to achieve lasting peace.
Meanwhile, Alakbarov reiterated that Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank had “no legal value”.
He warned that plans for more than 1,200 housing units in the E1 area of occupied East Jerusalem could effectively sever the northern and southern parts of the West Bank and further undermine prospects for a viable Palestinian state.
The Security Council meeting came as Israeli attacks continued across Gaza on Thursday, according to Palestinian sources.
One Palestinian was killed when Israeli warplanes struck the roof of a house in the Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City. In southern Gaza, a child, identified as Obaida Qwaider, was wounded by Israeli gunfire in the Qatr camp, east of Hamad City and north-west of Khan Younis.
Israeli artillery also shelled Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, while heavy bombardment was reported in the Shuja’iyya and Tuffah neighbourhoods east of Gaza City. Israeli warships opened fire off the coast of Khan Younis, and illumination flares were launched over Al-Qarara.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, Israeli attacks since the ceasefire took effect in October have killed 1,304 Palestinians and wounded 4,336 others. The ministry said 814 bodies had also been recovered during the same period.
Since October 7, 2023, the ministry has reported approximately 73,439 Palestinian deaths and 174,447 injuries.
This post was last modified on August 27, 2026 4:07 pm