Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hostages And Humanitarian Crisis Gaza topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
UN briefing speaker urges immediate release of Gaza hostages and warns of worsening humanitarian toll
Summary
An unnamed UN briefing speaker told the United Nations Security Council that the remaining hostages in Gaza must be released "immediately and unconditionally," and warned that resumed hostilities and restricted access are exposing those captives and civilians to life‑threatening conditions.
An unnamed UN briefing speaker told the United Nations Security Council that the remaining hostages in Gaza must be released "immediately and unconditionally," and warned that resumed hostilities and restricted access are exposing those captives and civilians to life‑threatening conditions.
The speaker said the January 19 ceasefire and hostage‑release arrangement reunited 25 living Israeli hostages with their families and returned the remains of eight deceased captives, but noted that as of the briefing "at least 59 hostages alive and deceased" — including named family members cited in the remarks — remain in captivity. The speaker described testimony from released hostages alleging physical and psychological torture, sexual violence, and deprivation, and called for International Committee of the Red Cross visits and treatment in line with humanitarian principles.
The briefing placed the hostage issue in the broader context of the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict and humanitarian access to Gaza. The speaker said the resumption of hostilities on March 18 increased danger and uncertainty for hostages and civilians alike and cited recent casualties among humanitarian personnel, saying "1 United Nations Office for Project Services, UNOPS staff member, has also been killed and several have been injured," and that UNRWA has reported five staff killed in recent days. The speaker appealed to parties to uphold obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law and repeated the secretary‑general's call for a renewed, respected ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian assistance, and the immediate and unconditional release of the remaining hostages.
The briefing included a denouncement of the October 7, 2023 attacks and criticised the public parading of released captives and coffins, describing such displays as violations of international law. The speaker said the public display of released and deceased captives — including children described in the briefing — was condemned by the United Nations and caused additional distress to victims' families.
The speaker acknowledged meetings between senior UN officials and families of hostages, and referenced testimony from a previously released captive, identified in the briefing as Noah Argamini, who described captivity as a constant life‑threatening ordeal. The speaker also recognized a surviving hostage named Elisharabi and extended condolences for the briefing's recounted family losses.
No formal Council decision or vote was recorded in the transcript of this briefing. The remarks were framed as an appeal and a report: calls for action (for example, ICRC access and a renewed ceasefire) were urged but not adopted as Council measures in the portions of the meeting captured in the transcript.
The speaker closed by reiterating the United Nations' long‑term stated objective that a durable peace requires Israel and Palestine to "live side by side in peace and security, in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions," and said that the United Nations "stands ready to do all it can to support the parties in reaching that objective."
