France hosted a conference Thursday on humanitarian aid for Gaza, calling for a "humanitarian pause" in the Israel-Hamas war so countries can "work towards a ceasefire."
French President Emmanuel Macron chaired the only session of the "International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza."
France divided the session into two parts: one open to the public and the media, while the second was closed and limited to the participating official eighty delegations, including representatives of international organizations and civil society organizations.
The conference did not include strong representation, while the Elysee Palace was counting on a summit that brought together several heads of state and government.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Shtayyeh was the only Arab top official at the summit, along with the Presidents of Ireland and Cyprus and the prime ministers of Greece and Luxembourg.
Paris did not extend invitations to Israel, Iran, and Russia. However, no official representatives from Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan attended the summit for various reasons, including wars or economic hardship.
- Four themes
During the conference, four main themes dominated the speeches of state and international organizations representatives.
The first theme focused on the insufficient aid delivered to Gaza, mainly through the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt, noting that two other crossings must be considered, such as the Kerem Shalom crossing and another based on a Cypriot proposal.
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides detailed his 25-page plan to open a direct path by sea to provide a continued rapid, safe, and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid pragmatically and effectively.
According to Christodoulides, the proposal is carefully studied and can be implemented, provided that there is political cover, primarily meaning Israel and the Palestinians accept the establishment of the necessary infrastructure for the humanitarian maritime corridor to Gaza.
The Cypriot President noted that "humanitarian" ships, which can be escorted by military personnel to reach their destination, can transport thousands of tons, unlike land transport.
- Obstacles to Rafah port
The Greek Prime Minister praised the Cypriot project and suggested providing Greek naval ships for this purpose.
However, given the obstacles that Israel imposes regarding the Rafah port to slow down the movement of trucks toward Gaza, the Cypriot proposal could require intense political and diplomatic pressure until it sees the light.
Furthermore, the conference witnessed several proposals to establish field hospitals, remove the wounded from Gaza, and provide financial aid to UNRWA and humanitarian organizations.
The second theme emerged unanimously and strongly through speeches and discussions, asserting the need for humanitarian truces and ceasefires. It aimed to facilitate the arrival and distribution of humanitarian aid and end the Israeli massacres in the enclave.
Opinions varied between parties calling for temporary humanitarian truces and others insisting on a complete ceasefire. Still, the general atmosphere that dominated the conference demonstrated the need to take action.
During his speech, Shtayyeh wondered how many Palestinians must be killed for the war to stop.
"Is killing 10,000 people in 30 days enough?"
Shtayyeh gave a quick presentation of the 75 years of Palestinian suffering in Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank.
Shtayyeh said that it was the sixth and not the first war carried out by Israel against Gaza, concluding that it was a war against the Palestinian people.
- The two-state solution
The third theme of the Paris Conference reiterated the necessity of reactivating the political track and the two-state solution.
Macron referred to the humanitarian and security axes in his opening speech, including fighting Hamas and restricting funding sources. He also addressed the political path of diplomatic work, asserting the need to resume bringing peace to the Middle East with a two-state solution.
"We must learn from our errors and no longer accept that peace in the Middle East always be pushed back to later," he said.
As the fighting continues, the humanitarian situation "is worsening more and more each day," Macron said.
The last theme of the conference warned that the situation could be out of control with the ongoing fighting, escalation, bombing, and casualties, adding that it could expand to other fronts and perhaps lead to a regional war.
The conference also included influential speeches from the United Nations, UNRWA, and the International Committee of Red Cross Committee (ICRC).
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini described the situation in Gaza as "catastrophic," refusing to consider civilian casualties, especially children, as "collateral damage."
In his speech, Lazzarini referred to the destruction of entire neighborhoods, including schools, mosques, hospitals, and churches.
He condemned depriving civilians of food, water, and medicine, saying it was collective punishment.
The UN official called for an immediate ceasefire, asserting the need to protect civilian infrastructure necessary for life and an acceleration of the flow of humanitarian aid.
Lazzarini also addressed the situation in the West Bank, warning that military incursions by the Israeli Forces and settler violence have caused "record high death tolls among Palestinians.
If we did not have Gaza today, all our attention would be on the West Bank."
- Immediate ceasefire
Also at the conference, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said the "so-called safe zones" are nonsense, pointing to serious concerns about the safety of the civilians.
Griffiths warned that "unless multilateral and diplomatic efforts can be maximized to ensure the protection of civilians, enhance humanitarian access and secure the release of the hostages so viciously taken on October 7th, I have real fears that this could just be the beginning."
For her part, President of the French section of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Isabelle Dufourny said there were no safe zones in Gaza, and a third of the Gazan victims were killed in those areas.
Dufourny informed the conference that 700 humanitarian organizations and associations demanded an immediate ceasefire.
ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric denounced Israel's targeting of all buildings in northern Gaza as military targets, adding: "We are confronted with a catastrophic moral failing, one that the world must not tolerate."
Egypt denounced the international silence regarding Israeli violations of international humanitarian law in the Palestinian territories.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said the Israeli government is going beyond the "right to self-defense," expressing his regret at the "double standards."
Shoukry believed that the aid that entered the Strip did not meet the needs, criticizing Israel and the "complex procedures" it imposes on the entry of aid into the enclave.
- Respect international humanitarian law
The attendees condemned Israel's war on Gazans and demanded respect for international humanitarian law. They also blamed Hamas "terrorist act" calling for the "immediate and unconditional release" of all captives with the organization.
The conference sought to mobilize financial resources, identifying several sectors to receive emergency support based on United Nations assessments of urgent needs amounting to $1.1 billion.
They also discussed restoring water, fuel, and electricity supplies and establishing accountability to ensure that aid is not diverted to Hamas.
Macron revealed that France will increase aid to the Palestinians from €20 million to €100 million in 2023.
The European Commission also reported that the European Union decided to quadruple the planned aid to Gaza to reach €100 million, in addition to the air bridge to transport aid through al-Arish Airport.
