U.N. appoints Gaza humanitarian relief coordinator

Darryl Coote & Mike Heuer
·4 min read
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Sgrid Kaag, outgoing deputy prime minister of the Netherlands, shakes hands with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Kaag was appointed Tuesday to lead the humanitarian aid effort for Gaza. Photo courtesy of U.N. Palestinian Rights Committee/X
Sgrid Kaag, outgoing deputy prime minister of the Netherlands, shakes hands with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Kaag was appointed Tuesday to lead the humanitarian aid effort for Gaza. Photo courtesy of U.N. Palestinian Rights Committee/X

Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Netherland's outgoing deputy prime minister has been appointed by the United Nations to oversee the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, as the intergovernmental body executes a resolution passed last week by the Security Council to address the crisis unfolding in the Palestinian enclave.

Sigrid Kaag was named senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza on Tuesday by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. According to a U.N. statement on the appointment, Kaag will "facilitate, coordinate, monitor and verify humanitarian relief consignments to Gaza" and establish a U.N. mechanism to accelerate delivery of aid through states not party to the conflict.

She is expected to begin her assignment Jan. 8.

In a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, Kaag -- who leads the Democrats 66 party but announced in the summer that she would be leaving Dutch politics -- said Tuesday that she has officially resigned as deputy prime minister and minister of finance.

"Peace, security and justice have always been my motivations," she said.

Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, on Wednesday commended the United Nations' appointment of the Netherland's outgoing deputy prime minister to oversee humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. File Photo by Al Drago/UPI
Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, on Wednesday commended the United Nations' appointment of the Netherland's outgoing deputy prime minister to oversee humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. File Photo by Al Drago/UPI

"I have accepted this special assignment in the hope of making a contribution to deliver a better future."

Her appointment comes as a humanitarian crisis not only unfolds in Gaza but worsens as a famine looms over the Palestinian enclave. The few hospitals that remain working run on tapped resources and well above capacity, while an estimated 1.9 million people, nearly 85% of Gaza's population, have been displaced.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called Kaag's appointment an "important step" toward ensuring the "delivery and distribution of life-saving humanitarian assistance in Gaza."

Jake Sullivan, White House national security adviser, today commended the United Nations' appointment of the Netherland's outgoing deputy prime minister to oversee humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. Photo by Al Drago/UPI

"We welcome Ms. Kaag's leadership and look forward to working together closely to increase the flow of aid into Gaza, and ensure safety and security for the aid delivery and the humanitarian staff providing the life-saving support to those in need," Sullivan said in a statement Wednesday.

The United States is the "largest financial supporter of the humanitarian assistance efforts to support Palestinian civilians who are caught in the middle of the conflict between Israel and Hamas," Sullivan added.

Gaza has been under incessant Israeli bombing since Oct. 7, when the war between the Middle Eastern country and Hamas began with the militant group executing a surprise attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and saw more than 200 others taken hostage.

The Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry states that nearly 21,000 Palestinians, mostly woman and children, have been killed in the war.

As the death toll and devastation grow, international calls, including from the United Nations and its various bodies, for a cease-fire have increased, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has vowed that the war will continue until Hamas is eliminated.

On Friday, following intense and protracted negotiations by diplomats, the Security Council passed a highly anticipated resolution that calls for the appointment of a humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator as well as for the immediate delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza and that Hamas and Israel allow routes to and throughout the enclave for the provision of humanitarian assistance.

"The United States welcomes today's announcement by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres of the appointment of Ms. Sigrid Kaag of the Netherlands as senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza," U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

"We look forward to coordinating closely with Ms. Kaag and the U.N. Office for Project Services on efforts to accelerate and streamline the delivery of life-saving humanitarian relief to Palestinian civilians in Gaza."

Egypt, which is permitting the United Nations to use of its Rafah Border crossing with Gaza to bring humanitarian assistance to Palestinians, also welcomed Kaag's appointment on Wednesday.

"Reaching a cease-fire remains indispensable to end this crisis," Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement.