Opening this exhibition is not easy. It is heavy with loss. Heavy with grief.

Because while we stand here in this beautiful hall, warm, safe, well-fed, millions of people in Gaza are freezing through winter nights. Cold in their bones, hunger in their stomachs.

There is also burning injustice because those who are trying to relieve this suffering see their workplace reduced to rubble. The demolition of UNRWAs headquarters in East Jerusalem is yet another act of violence. Another attempt to intimidate. Another attempt to erase decades of service to the Palestinian people.

UN premises are inviolable. They must be protected. This act violates international law, and no one is above the law. The European Union does not accept this act of violence. We will never accept it. We stand with you and with every aid worker who risks their life so others may live.

Today we are surrounded by art. Painful art. Art faithful to reality. These photographs do something words cannot. They grab us by the hand and pull us into a world that should not exist.

A dystopian landscape.

Families carrying everything they own in their arms. A boy fighting the crowds for a crust of bread. A mother brushing her daughters hair, a small act of love in the middle of chaos.

In one photo, we even see joy. A girl smiling on a swing. A moment you could see anywhere in the world. 

But this is not anywhere. This is Gaza, a land scarred by more than two years of destruction.

In recent weeks, there has been some progress. More food is entering Gaza, but not nearly enough. Aid trucks pile up at the border, engines off, supplies inside, blocked by Israeli restrictions.

The Rafah crossing has reopened but only for people on foot. Only for fifty people a day. This will not bring in food, water, tents, or fuel. It will not keep families warm. It will not save lives. And it will not bring back the eleven children who recently died from hypothermia.

Just this weekend, more Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes, including children, and hundreds have been killed since the ceasefire began in October.

Lets be honest, with hundreds continuing to die, it is hard to call this a ceasefire. Israel must stop killing civilians. Hamas must demilitarise. All parties must respect their commitments. Phase one of the peace plan must be respected, and phase two implemented.

As we are talking about a future peace, the peace we all desperately want, Palestinians must be at the table.

In Europe, we always say “nothing about Ukraine without Ukrainians”. The same applies here. Nothing about Palestine without Palestinians.

A real, lasting ceasefire is long overdue in Gaza and the West Bank, where settler violence continues to force entire communities from their homes. International humanitarian law must be respected.

UNRWA is needed today more than ever. You know it. I know it. And the millions of Gazans who depend on you know it. UNRWA is their only lifeline. Your teams work day and night to keep families alive, but no humanitarian organisation can save lives with their hands tied.

Today that is exactly what is happening.

Measures targeting UNRWA, combined with registration rules for NGOs, are choking humanitarian operations. More barriers, more paperwork, more delays. This must stop. Israel must lift these obstacles and let humanitarians save lives.

The European Unions partnership with UNRWA is built on trust and shared responsibility. It is the cornerstone of our support.

The EU is the largest humanitarian donor to the Palestinian people. Since October 2023, we have provided €550 million in humanitarian aid. We have organised more than 80 humanitarian flights and delivered over 5,400 tonnes of assistance.

With our Member States and partners, Europes support is unshakeable. We will continue to support UNRWA politically and financially because your work is not only about survival. It is about stability, dignity, and ultimately about peace. 

Palestinians need you. You can count on the European Union to be right by your side.