51 countries urge UN nuclear watchdog to help deliver aid to Palestine

Fifty-one countries on Wednesday said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) can play a role in providing urgent and long-term assistance to the state of Palestine .

In a joint statement, the countries, including Türkiye, the UK, Spain, Italy, and China, said that the IAEA is an authorized body that can play an important role in providing urgent and long-term assistance to the state of Palestine to help ease the humanitarian plight in the Gaza Strip.

The joint statement was read aloud by Levent Eler, Türkiye's permanent representative to the UN Office in Vienna, during the Board of Governors meeting.

The statement said that the IAEA can contribute to addressing the State of Palestine's needs in areas such as nuclear medicine, non-destructive testing, and the assessment of soil, air and water contamination.

Countries also welcomed the recent ceasefire deal in Gaza and urged all parties to comply with and implement the agreement.

The statement expressed deep concern over the humanitarian conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza, and recalled that the amount of humanitarian aid entering Gaza remains "significantly below" what was agreed under the ceasefire.