UN Warns Gaza and West Bank Near Breaking Point, Urges Prevention of Renewed War

Gaza, MINA – A senior United Nations official warned Thursday that the situation in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank remains dangerously fragile, stressing that a return to war must be avoided at all costs.

Briefing the UN Security Council on Palestine, Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN acting special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said Palestinians and Israelis needed a credible political path toward lasting peace as the anniversary of the October 7 events approached.

“Palestinians and Israelis deserve more than short-term fixes. They deserve a credible path to peace and finally an end to this conflict,” Alakbarov said.

He urged the international community to move beyond statements and take concrete action to guarantee security and dignity for both peoples, calling for a genuine peace process to resume.

Turning to Gaza, Alakbarov said that one year after the ceasefire took effect, the situation remained extremely fragile despite some progress.

He said continued Israeli military operations had caused approximately 1,500 deaths, including more than 320 children, since the ceasefire.

Alakbarov described families living in worn-out tents, overcrowded displacement sites, and severely damaged buildings. Water and sanitation systems have also been devastated, leaving many residents without essential services.

“Most of Gaza still lives in darkness,” he said, warning that Palestinians must not be forced to endure another winter without safe shelter and basic services.

He emphasized that children and other vulnerable groups needed more than emergency relief, calling for sustainable recovery efforts to advance alongside political progress.

“Emergency assistance alone is not enough. Sustainable recovery and political progress must advance together,” he said.

On the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Alakbarov said conditions continued to deteriorate amid Israeli military operations, movement restrictions, displacement, and Palestinian attacks.

He also expressed concern over continuing settler violence, describing its levels as extremely high and noting that Palestinians faced attacks on a daily basis.

Alakbarov said he felt compelled to sound the alarm before the Security Council because of the growing desperation in Gaza and escalating tensions in the West Bank.

“In Gaza, desperation is palpable,” he said, warning that frustration among the population could not continue to grow indefinitely.

He described the risk of renewed war as extremely high and stressed that it must be prevented.

“This must be avoided at all costs,” Alakbarov said. “The West Bank is also at a boiling point.”

The warning comes one year after the ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025, which was intended to halt hostilities and create conditions for a broader political settlement.

However, implementation has stalled amid continued Israeli military operations, restrictions on humanitarian supplies, and unresolved questions over control of parts of Gaza.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 1,490 Palestinians have been killed and over 5,290 injured since the ceasefire took effect. The UN Human Rights Office has separately documented the killing of 1,076 Palestinians, including 268 children, during the same period.

More than two million Palestinians remain displaced and in need of shelter, food, and medical care, according to the background information provided.

In the occupied West Bank, Palestinian figures indicate that more than 1,200 Palestinians have been killed and over 13,000 injured since October 2023 amid Israeli military operations and settler violence.

The UN has repeatedly warned that worsening conditions, settlement expansion, and settler attacks threaten prospects for a two-state solution.

Alakbarov’s remarks underscore renewed international calls for concrete action to protect civilians, address the humanitarian crisis, and restore a credible political process to prevent further escalation.[]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)