Fragile Ceasefire, Deep Destruction: UN Security Council Hears Stark Briefing on Gaza and the West B

Fragile Ceasefire, Deep Destruction: UN Security Council Hears Stark Briefing on Gaza and the West Bank
Ceasefire offers “glimmer of respite” but humanitarian, political risks remain high, UN envoy warns

By Winny Power
Times Square Global Live – United Nations Headquarters, New York
24 November 2025

UNITED NATIONS, New York – A fragile ceasefire in Gaza has opened a narrow window of hope but is being undermined by continuing violence, severe humanitarian suffering and mounting tensions in the occupied West Bank, the UN’s Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, told the Security Council in a virtual briefing on Monday.

“Today we meet at a moment of renewed hope, while progress on the ground is fragile and deep uncertainty persists,” Alakbarov said, urging Council members and regional actors to seize the opportunity to “chart a better future for Palestinians, Israelis and the wider region.”

The briefing, delivered on the “Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian Question,” came as the Council recently adopted resolution 2803 (2025), aimed at consolidating the ceasefire and supporting a pathway towards a negotiated two-State solution.

Ceasefire largely holding, but new strikes and attacks raise alarm

Alakbarov reported that the ceasefire in Gaza, which entered into force last month, has “largely held.” However, he warned that recent Israeli airstrikes on populated areas in Gaza have caused “numerous casualties and significant destruction,” while Palestinian militants in Gaza have continued sporadic attacks on Israeli soldiers, resulting in fatalities.

“This violence is jeopardizing the fragile ceasefire,” he cautioned, calling on all parties “to exercise restraint and fulfill their commitments under the agreement.”

The Deputy Special Coordinator praised the “exceptional efforts” of the mediators – Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and the United States – in sustaining the deal and welcomed the Council’s adoption of resolution 2803 (2025) as “an important step in the consolidation of the ceasefire.”

For civilians, the impact of the ceasefire has been deeply personal. In Gaza, Alakbarov said, people who endured nearly two years of “near constant bombardment” have experienced “the first glimmers of respite.” In Israel, some families have been reunited with loved ones who were held hostage by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups under “intolerable conditions” in Gaza. Others have finally received the remains of relatives killed in captivity and begun the long process of mourning.

However, the bodies of three hostages have yet to be returned. “The bodies of the deceased hostages must be returned immediately,” he stressed.

Alakbarov also met last week with families of missing Palestinians from Gaza. “With tears in their eyes, they showed me pictures of their loved ones, who are presumed to be in detention or still buried under the rubble,” he recalled. “All efforts must be made to identify missing Palestinians. These families also deserve closure.”

“Catastrophic” damage in Gaza: 80% of buildings affected, 1.7 million displaced

Turning to the humanitarian situation, Alakbarov did not mince words: “The damage in Gaza – physically, economically and socially – is catastrophic.”

Two years of fighting, he said, have left almost 80 percent of Gaza’s 250,000 buildings damaged or destroyed. More than 1.7 million people remain displaced, many sheltering in overcrowded facilities with inadequate access to water, food and medical care.

Alakbarov, who travelled to Gaza last week, described meeting displaced communities and humanitarian workers “who are working tirelessly on the ground to deliver assistance.” Yet, he said, “the picture remains bleak.”

While the availability and price of basic food commodities have improved, “key protein sources, such as chicken, meat, and eggs, remain out of reach for many families.” Shelter support also faces serious gaps: the UN and its partners are struggling to provide sufficient tents, blankets and other materials, just as winter temperatures begin to fall.

“As we enter the winter months, these delays must be urgently resolved,” he said.

Hospitals strained, water and sanitation on the brink

Gaza’s basic services remain critically degraded. Hospitals, according to Alakbarov, continue to struggle without reliable electricity and water supplies, sharply limiting their capacity to care for patients. The water and sanitation situation, he added, is “alarming.”

He highlighted the case of the Sheikh Radwan pond, which has “effectively become an open sewage tank,” warning that it requires immediate intervention “to prevent a public health catastrophe.”

To avert further deterioration, he called for urgent entry of key materials to repair vital water and sanitation facilities. However, recent changes in access routes – including the rerouting of humanitarian and commercial movements through the Philadelphi Corridor and the Al-Rasheed coastal road – have “complicated logistics,” leading to additional delays in the distribution of much-needed aid.

Aid scaled up – but 190,000 metric tons still waiting to enter

Despite these hurdles, the UN and its partners have moved to scale up their response.

An immunization campaign has been launched to reach 44,000 children;

Hundreds of water wells have reopened;

More than 24,000 metric tons of aid have been collected and moved into Gaza.

Yet the gap between need and delivery remains staggering. “Some 190,000 metric tons of food, medicine and shelter are pre-positioned in the region and awaiting entry,” Alakbarov noted.

He called on Israel “to expand crossing capacity and expedite the clearance of supplies, including UN supplies.” He stressed that opening the Jordan Corridor and the Rafah crossing is “vital to further scale up the response.” Renewal of NGO registration, he added, is “also essential and remains unresolved,” limiting the operational capacity of humanitarian actors.

Alakbarov described ongoing engagement with the Civil-Military Coordination Centre, which brings together 22 Member State partners to coordinate aid delivery and uphold humanitarian principles. This coordination has “yielded benefits for Gaza’s population,” including increased food supplies and higher approval rates for shelter and non-food items, particularly for government-to-government aid.

He also welcomed the restoration of fiber optic internet service in Gaza as “a positive result of these efforts,” helping both humanitarian operations and civilian communications.

From emergency relief to early recovery and dignity

While emergency aid remains indispensable, Alakbarov underscored that Gaza’s needs go far beyond food and tents.

“We cannot address only immediate physical needs. Psycho-social needs, social cohesion and justice issues must be addressed. There must be a restoration of dignity and hope,” he said.

The Deputy Special Coordinator linked Gaza’s recovery to a broader political horizon: resolving the conflict, ending the “unlawful occupation,” and realizing a negotiated two-State solution.

He emphasized that the European Union, United Nations and World Bank are jointly updating the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), which in March estimated reconstruction costs at approximately 53 billion US dollars. The UN’s immediate early recovery approach, he said, has been aligned with the Palestinian Authority’s recovery and reconstruction planning and can help advance the objectives of Security Council resolution 2803 (2025).

Alakbarov welcomed the EU’s recent convening of the Palestine Donor Group in Brussels, which he said “demonstrated a strong commitment to durable recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, to strengthening linkages between the West Bank and Gaza, and to the full resumption of the Palestinian Authority’s responsibilities in Gaza.”

He also noted preparations for the upcoming Cairo Conference for Gaza’s Reconstruction, calling it “a chance to align recovery priorities with a broader vision for Gaza’s reconstruction” and commending Egypt’s continued leadership.

“The task ahead is monumental and will require a well-coordinated, phased, international effort,” he said. “We must help create the conditions in which people can begin to rebuild their lives with dignity. There is no time to lose.”

Escalating tensions in the West Bank: settler violence at “emergency levels”

Shifting his focus to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Alakbarov painted an increasingly volatile picture.

He reported that settlement expansion, the proliferation of outposts, violence – including settler violence – displacement and evictions “continue to escalate at alarming levels.” Israeli military operations, particularly in the northern West Bank, have resulted in deaths, destruction and the displacement of thousands, especially from refugee camps. Operations have also extended deep into Area A, which under existing agreements is meant to be under full Palestinian civil and security control.

“Settler violence has reached emergency levels,” he warned. During the olive harvest season in October, the UN recorded the highest number of settler attacks on Palestinians since monitoring began – an average of eight incidents per day. The olive harvest, he reminded the Council, is both an economic lifeline and a cultural tradition for Palestinian communities.

“These attacks have injured farmers, destroyed olive trees, and decimated livelihoods,” he said. In many cases, Israeli forces “failed to prevent or were complicit in such acts.” In other instances, Israeli settlers have violently confronted Israeli forces themselves.

Alakbarov also denounced arson attacks and the desecration of holy places by settlers, saying they have “further heightened tensions and illustrate the spiraling violence.”

“It must stop,” he stated unequivocally. He noted the condemnation of these attacks by the Government of Israel, but stressed that “concrete action is needed. Impunity for these crimes must end and Palestinian communities must be protected.”

At the same time, he underscored that Palestinian attacks, including acts of terror such as the recent ramming and stabbing attack south of Jerusalem, “must also cease and be condemned.”

“All perpetrators of violence must be held accountable,” he said, calling on political and community leaders “to cease the incitement and incendiary language that only fuels further extremism.”

Financial pressures on the Palestinian Authority

Alakbarov highlighted the central role of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its financial system in any sustainable recovery and reconstruction effort in Gaza.

“A robust Palestinian economy and financial sector is a critical enabler for sustainable recovery and reconstruction efforts in Gaza,” he said. Yet, he warned, the PA and its economy “continue to face immense challenges.”

He called for an end to unilateral measures that undermine the PA and urged Member States and partners to intensify efforts to support and strengthen it, including in implementing its reform agenda.

The Palestinian financial sector, he noted, has shown “remarkable resilience,” but is under “tremendous pressure” and “must be protected.” He called for immediate measures to allow the repatriation of excess shekel banknotes and the renewal of correspondent banking agreements, warning that failure to do so would further exacerbate the crisis.

Regional context: Lebanon, Syria and the risk of wider escalation

Looking beyond the Palestinian territories, Alakbarov reiterated the Secretary-General’s call for all parties in Lebanon to uphold their obligations to maintain the cessation of hostilities and to fully implement Security Council resolution 1701 (2006).

He also echoed the call for an immediate cessation of all violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for full respect of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.

These reminders came amid concerns that localized escalations around Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria could merge into a broader regional confrontation.

“The cost of failure is unimaginable”: towards a political horizon

In his concluding remarks, Alakbarov framed the present moment as a decisive crossroads.

“The decisions made now will determine whether the ceasefire endures or unravels,” he said. “The first phase of the ceasefire must be fully implemented, and I urge the parties to urgently reach an agreement on the modalities to implement the next phases. The challenges remain immense, but the cost of failure is unimaginable.”

He argued that the international community already has tools to lay the foundations for success, pointing to:

UN resolutions, including Security Council resolution 2803 (2025);

President Trump’s 20-point plan;

The New York Declaration;

And initiatives such as the Global Alliance for the Two-State Solution.

Together, he suggested, these frameworks “provide a pathway forward” by mobilizing political will, investment and solidarity around a shared political vision.

Alakbarov reaffirmed that the United Nations remains committed to “seizing this critical opportunity to move from crisis management to conflict resolution.”

“All our efforts must be guided by the imperative of establishing a genuine political process that will resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict once and for all,” he said.

Reiterating the UN’s long-standing position, he concluded that the goal remains a negotiated two-State solution, based on the 1967 lines, “with Jerusalem as the capital of both States, living side by side in peace and security.”

About Times Square Global Live

Times Square Global Live (TSGL) is a New York–based independent media platform focusing on United Nations affairs, global governance and sustainable development, with a special bridge to Chinese-speaking audiences worldwide. Reporting from the heart of Manhattan, TSGL seeks to bring UN debates and decisions closer to ordinary people, amplifying diverse voices from conflict zones, diasporas and civil society.