Thank you Mr. President,

The Kingdom of the Netherlands aligns itself with the EU statement.
We thank the OIC and GCC for convening this urgent session.

We express our solidarity with the State of Qatar in light of the recent Israeli strikes in Doha on 9 September. The Netherlands condemns these attacks and underlines that Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected.

We reiterate the urgent need to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip: to secure the release of all hostages, to enable a drastic increase of humanitarian aid, and to launch a process towards a sustainable solution to this conflict. This attack is clearly a step in the wrong direction and risks undermining ongoing efforts.

The Netherlands highly values the important mediating role of Qatar and commends its continued commitment to this task.

At the same time, the Netherlands reiterates its position that Hamas is a terrorist organization that must lay down its weapons and can have no role in the future of the Gaza Strip. 

Thank you.