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In the last week, we have seen dramatic shifts in frontlines in Syria, radically altering a status quo that had been largely in place well over four years. The situation is extremely fluid and dangerous. But as I brief you today, a vast swathe of territory has come under the control of non-state actors, including Security Council-listed terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and armed opposition groups, including the Syrian National Army. These groups now de factocontrol territory containing what we estimate to be some 7 million people, including Aleppo – Syria’s second biggest city and a vast and diverse metropolis of more than 2 million people.

MUHANNAD HADI

DEPUTY SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS

BRIEFING TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

25 November 2024

[As delivered]

Madam President,

Members of the Security Council,

At the outset I would like to convey the apologies of Special Coordinator Wennesland, who asked me to deliver these remarks on his behalf, due to unforeseen circumstances.

Last week Special Coordinator Wennesland briefed the Security Council on the dynamics unfolding in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and the broader region.

Regrettably, the situation remains grave across the region.

Israeli military operations continued across the Blue Line with Lebanon, as did the firing of rockets by Hizbullah toward Israel, including a barrage this weekend.

I welcome the ongoing diplomatic efforts to reach a cessation of hostilities and urge the parties to accept a ceasefire anchored in the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701.

The Special Coordinator also outlined a number of key principles that would lay the groundwork for a viable and sustainable political future for Israelis and Palestinians, within a more peaceful and stable region.

Since the conflict began, the United Nations has consistently urged the international community and the parties to chart a course towards peace.

We continue to call for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and the de-escalation of tensions around the region.

We continue to demand immediate steps to improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance, which is failing to meet even the most basic needs of Gaza’s population.

We continue to call for political and security frameworks that would move us closer to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ending the occupation, and achieving a two-State solution.

Madam President,

As winter approaches, the horror in Gaza continues to grind on with no end in sight.

In the more than thirteen months of conflict since the vicious attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups inside Israel on 7 October 2023, some 44,000 Palestinians and some 1,700 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed.

Over 100,000 Palestinians, many women and children, and tens of thousands of Israelis, including women and children, have been injured.

101 Israelis are still held in Gaza, being held in horrific conditions and denied humanitarian visits.

Recent weeks have seen the devastating intensification of IDF operations in North Gaza, with mass casualty incidents occurring with alarming frequency.

On 10 November, 36 Palestinians, including women and children, were reportedly killed while others were injured, when a multi-story building was hit in Jabalya Al Balad.

On 16 November in Beit Lahiya, two separate Israeli airstrikes reportedly killed at least 65 Palestinians, including women and children, when buildings hosting IDPs were hit.

These are but a small fraction of the deadly incidents that have occurred in recent weeks.

The IDF has said it is targeting Hamas personnel and locations and takes steps to mitigate harm to civilians.

On top of the daily carnage, we continue to witness displacement and destruction, including of civilian infrastructure.

Repeated evacuation orders issued by the IDF have triggered over 100,000 people to be displaced from Northern Gaza southward, since IDF ground operations resumed in the area on 6 October.

The resulting influx into Gaza City and surroundings has increased the population to some 375,000 people, with only an estimated 75,000 remaining in Northern Gaza.

Access to humanitarian aid remains a daily struggle and involves huge personal risk.

Looting of humanitarian supplies by Palestinians is intensifying and becoming more organized and more violent.

In one incident, on 16 November, a UN convoy comprising 109 trucks of food supplies was violently looted by Palestinians, with 97 trucks lost.

On 18 November, over 20 people were reportedly killed by armed Palestinians in an operation said to be led by the Gaza Ministry of Interior to target looters of humanitarian aid.

I again unequivocally condemn the widespread killing and injury of civilians in Gaza and the endless displacement of the population.

I also condemn the continued holding of hostages in Gaza, and the indiscriminate firing of rockets toward Israeli population centres by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, which has continued this month.

Attacks on humanitarians and humanitarian convoys must cease immediately.

Law and order must be restored, and the civilian population must have safe access to vital aid.

Madam President,

The level of essential goods, including humanitarian assistance, that has been allowed into Gaza is inadequate to meet the overwhelming needs of the population.

The campaign in Gaza to vaccinate against poliovirus concluded having reached over half a million children.

It demonstrates what is possible when basic humanitarian operational requirements are met.

As I warned, in my capacity of Humanitarian Coordinator, the delivery of critical aid across Gaza is grinding to a halt and that the survival of two million people hangs in the balance.

I urge Israel to fulfil its obligations to facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief into and throughout Gaza and for all parties to respect safe delivery of assistance.

Madam President,

As we confront the enormous challenges in Gaza, we are also witnessing the increasingly dangerous dynamics unfolding in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Violence has continued at alarming levels.

During the reporting period, 32 Palestinians were killed mostly in the context of ISF operations and clashes with armed Palestinians, including in Area A. The IDF say they are targeting Palestinian militants.

While shooting and ramming attacks by Palestinians continued, no fatalities were reported in the occupied West Bank or Israel.

Israeli settlers and other civilians also continued to attack Palestinian communities in the West Bank, many in the context of the olive harvest, while Palestinian attacks on Israelis also continued.

The Israeli Government has also continued its unrelenting advancement of settlements and its policy of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian-owned structures.

On 28 October, Israeli planning authorities advanced approximately 120 housing units in settlements in area C in the occupied West Bank.

And on 5 November, Israeli forces demolished nine homes in East Jerusalem.

While these dangerous steps accelerate, some ministers are now openly calling for the annexation of the West Bank.

I reiterate that annexation constitutes a violation of international law and must be firmly rejected.

It is crucial that the Palestinian Authority is supported politically and financially.

The waiver that allows Israel’s banking system to cooperate with Palestinian banks is set to expire at the end of the month, once again threatening the Palestinian banking sector and economy.

The use of this renewal letter as a perpetual threat of economic instability, alongside other unilateral steps that undermine the PA’s fiscal stability must end.

Madam President,

Allow me to share a few final reflections from the Special Coordinator.

Developments across the occupied Palestinian Territory, both Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, suggest we are at imminent risk of losing the frameworks we have been operating under since 1967 and 1973 when the Security Council adopted the resolutions aimed at laying the foundations for a just and lasting peace.

We must never allow for a repeat of the 7 October Hamas attacks and their aftermath; we must treat Gaza and the West Bank as a whole, integral to the vision of an independent Palestinian State and avoid repeating the political and administrative divides of the past; we must preserve and strengthen the Palestinian Authority and its institutions; we must create the space for a political solution, not a violent one.

If the forces seeking to undermine the two-State solution are successful, the collapse of the relevant principles and institutional structures will have a ripple effect that could spread far beyond the Middle East.

The United Nations and this office – UNSCO – in particular has a critical role to play in protecting and promoting the very frameworks the international community – and the parties themselves – have identified as the basis for a more peaceful and secure future.

But this requires renewed support from the international community, particularly from the region, to create the enabling conditions for diplomacy to be effective.

We need a ceasefire; we need to get the hostages out, we need life-saving support to be delivered safely now, and we need to ensure the long-term safety and security of Palestinians and Israelis.

Thank you.

An increasing number of Syrians find themselves trapped in an unrelenting cycle of violence and suffering, forced to flee from places of refuge now under attack—both within their homeland and beyond its borders. As humanitarian aid diminishes and hostile rhetoric and actions intensify, Syrians are being driven into increasingly precarious and unsustainable conditions.

TOR WENNESLAND

SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS

BRIEFING TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

18 November 2024

Madam President,

Excellencies, Members of the Security Council,

Thank you for convening this ministerial meeting on the Situation in the Middle East.

After over a year of horrific war and bloodshed, the region is at a grim crossroads.

The war between Hamas and Israel has spread to the region –involving non-state armed groups and now engulfing large swaths of Lebanon in a war between Hizbullah and Israel, amidst repeated escalatory exchanges between Israel and Iran.

As feared, a year of armed exchanges across the Blue Line between Israel and Hezbollah has erupted into an all-out war.

Daily barrages of rocket fire from Lebanon towards northern and central Israel, massive Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon and an Israeli ground operation in southern Lebanon have led to alarmingly high numbers of casualties and massive destruction.

Armed groups operating from Yemen, Iraq and Syria have also continued to launch missiles and projectiles toward Israel, while Israel continues to strike in Yemen and Syria. Israel and Iran have also engaged in overt and direct military confrontations, with Iran launching hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel, and Israel conducting extensive airstrikes on Iran.

Madam President,

We are living a nightmare. The trauma and grief that has been unleashed is immeasurable. Hamas’s appalling terrorist attacks inside Israel on 7 October 2023 and Palestinian armed group’s killing and continued holding of hostages in unbearable conditions has devastated Israel. Grinding warfare and Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza has wrought mass destruction and enormous casualties. Most of the Palestinian population in Gaza has been displaced and whole areas of the Strip are being emptied and made uninhabitable.

These events will reverberate for generations and shape the region in ways we cannot yet fully comprehend.

Madam President, as this Council has been briefed repeatedly,

The humanitarian situation in Gaza, as winter begins, is catastrophic, particularly developments in the north of Gaza with a large-scale and near-total displacement of the population and widespread destruction and clearing of land, amidst what looks like a disturbing disregard for international humanitarian law.

The United Nations and its partners are working around the clock to bring assistance to the population in Gaza. But humanitarian agencies continue to face an incredible challenge and dangerous operational environment, as well as access restrictions that seriously hinder their vital work. Attacks on humanitarians and looting of aid – including by organized armed Palestinians – remains a serious and unaddressed obstacle, as was proven to be so on Saturday.

The current conditions are among the worst we’ve seen during the entire war and are not set to improve.

Meanwhile, Madam President,

The occupied West Bank remains stuck in a destructive spiral of violence and hopelessness.

Israeli military operations in Palestinian cities and refugee camps in Area A continue, often leading to armed exchanges with Palestinian militants, while Palestinian attacks against Israelis and high levels of settler-related violence also persist. In all of this – civilians continue to pay the price, very often and increasingly with their lives.

At the same time, settlement expansion continues unabated, as the Israeli Government has taken numerous steps to accelerate settlement advancement, with some ministers now openly calling for formal annexation of the West Bank in the coming months and establishing settlements inside Gaza. This comes in the wake of significant steps in recent months to reshape Israeli control in the West Bank, including not only settlement enlargement, but large-scale state land declarations and the appointment of a civilian deputy in the Civil Administration, thus deepening the illegal occupation.

These dynamics exact a political toll, further undermining the Palestinian Authority, which continues to face an ongoing fiscal and institutional crisis.

All told and combined with developments in Gaza and Israel’s recent passage of laws against UNRWA’s operations, I must issue an urgent warning that the very institutional framework of support to the Palestinian people and a viable Palestinian state are on the brink of dissolution, threatening to plunge the Occupied Palestinian Territory into even greater chaos.

Madam President,

How much more misery can ordinary people on both sides be expected to endure? What greater burden can we place on humanitarians to deliver? How much further can we bend the system of international laws and institutions meant to protect innocent civilians? How many times can we test the limits of restraint? How deeply can we allow Palestinian institutions to be undermined, threatening the very arrangements meant to ensure a peaceful settlement to this conflict?

Frankly, I don’t have the answers, but I can tell you that what we are living now is the result of us testing all these breaking points for way too long.

The steps being taken on the ground in Gaza and the occupied West Bank that I have outlined – not only today but over many briefings in this Council – are taking us further away from the peace process and ultimately a viable Palestinian state.

Armed resistance and military solutions will ultimately fail to provide safety or security for anyone. We need to see greater security for Israel and Palestinians’ realization of their right to self-determination.

Although preparations for recovery and reconstruction are well underway, humanitarian relief and reconstruction can be no more than band aids absent a political solution.

Mister President,

If the parties cannot find a path out of the perpetual warfare, then the international community must define the path forward.

The international community must act now – together with the parties – to change the dangerous course we are on.

Here is what we need: we need an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza.

We need the ongoing and concerted diplomatic effort to deescalate tensions around the region, including a ceasefire in Lebanon anchored in the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

And we need to see implementation of concrete, irreversible steps towards a political framework that resolves the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ends the occupation, and achieves a two-State solution.

The international community must put down clear markers on how to end the war in Gaza in a way that lays the groundwork for a viable and sustainable political future.

I have mentioned some of these principles in my recent briefings to the Council. I choose to reiterate them here today because they need urgent safeguarding and attention.

• Gaza is and must remain an integral part of a future Palestinian State – with no reductions in its territory. The repeated displacement of the Gaza population must cease, and people must be allowed to return to their homes.

• There should be no long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza, while at the same time Israel's legitimate security concerns, particularly in the wake of the acts of terror committed on 7 October, must be addressed. Calls for the reestablishment of Israeli settlements in Gaza must be firmly rejected and clearly opposed.

• Gaza and the West Bank must be unified politically, economically, and administratively. They must be governed by a Palestinian Government that is recognized and supported by the Palestinian people and the international community.

• There can be no long-term solution in Gaza that is not fundamentally political.

Mister President,

Supporting and sustaining a meaningful political process that can effectively address these issues will require an international community that is engaged and coordinated.

There must be a context in which the international community can muster the tools and a timeline for how this conflict should end, rooted in well-recognized principles, with the capacity to leverage the strengths, resources and influence of the region and international partners with the two parties.

We are again in need today of such a political framework, that will allow for a streamlined collective response to the acute recovery and reconstruction needs in Gaza, while ensuring these needs are addressed within the context of a political process that tangibly advances us towards a two-State solution and a lasting peace.

The UN remains fully committed to participate in and cooperate with such an effort, and to do its part to ensure that this awful war not only ends soon, but concludes in a way that ensures a better future for Palestinians, Israelis, and all in the region.

Thank you.

TOR WENNESLAND

UN SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS

BRIEFING TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

29 October 2024

Mr. President,

Members of the Security Council,

Excellencies,

We have now entered the second year of this horrific conflict, and the region is on the verge of yet another serious escalation.

The violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and wider region shows no signs of abating.

Just yesterday in Gaza, Israeli forces struck a building in Beit Lahiya, leaving at least 60 Palestinians killed, including at least 25 children, according to preliminary figures provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health. This strike is yet another in a deadly series of recent mass casualty incidents in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

We are witnessing not only a horrific humanitarian nightmare, but a rapidly accelerated unraveling of the prospects for a sustainable resolution to this conflict.

Last week, I was again in the Gaza Strip and what I witnessed defies imagination.

In the southern part of the Strip, I saw the sheer magnitude of the devastation this war has inflicted on the population. I saw the immense destruction – of residential buildings, roads, hospitals, and schools. I saw thousands living in makeshift tents, with nowhere else to go as winter is approaching. Let me add, Mr President, anecdotally, that on the way from the crossing into Gaza up to the Japanese health compound, I could only count two buildings that were not totally or partly destroyed.

I spoke to our UN colleagues and their humanitarian partners, who face increasing challenges in their tireless efforts to deliver vital assistance. They described the dire humanitarian situation in northern Gaza, which has received virtually no humanitarian assistance since the start of October.

I heard also from Palestinian NGOs, whose demands were very clear: The war must end. Civilians must be protected, and they must be able to access assistance to meet their basic needs. And even in the face of just trying to survive, they recognized that there must be a political solution to the conflict and an end to the occupation.

In Israel, I have also heard the cries of victims. The seventh of this month was a grim marker of Hamas’ horrific attack in Israel that terrorized the population and marked a year of captivity for hostages still held in Gaza, in unbearable conditions, denied ICRC visits and their fates unknown. For them, as well, this nightmare must end, and the hostages must be freed.

Mr. President,

We are also at the most dangerous juncture in the Middle East in decades.

You were briefed yesterday by my colleague on the serious escalations between Iran and Israel this month.

Meanwhile, the hostilities between Hizbullah and Israel are inflicting civilian casualties, massive displacement and destruction on both sides of the Blue Line. Armed groups operating from Yemen, Iraq and Syria also continued to launch missiles and projectiles toward Israel. Israel has reportedly carried out dozens of airstrikes in Syria in the past month.

Mr. President,

Every effort – by all of us - must be made to de-escalate the situation and establish a different trajectory toward greater peace and stability in the region.

We need a ceasefire. We need the hostages released from Gaza now. I urge all parties to engage constructively in urgent diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation and avoid an endless spiral of death and destruction.

Mr. President,

In the almost 13 months since the brutal attacks perpetrated by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on 7 October 2023, more than 42,000 Palestinians and over 1,600 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed, with 101 hostages still held in captivity in Gaza.

Tens of thousands of people have been injured, the vast majority of them Palestinians, including a staggering number of women and children. Palestinian medics, journalists and over 230 UN staff have been killed.

Israeli military operations and fighting with Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continued across the Strip. Israeli military evacuation orders cover over 80 per cent of the Strip. Nearly 2 million people are displaced.

In recent weeks, Israeli military operations have intensified in the northern Strip, killing scores of Palestinians. Military actions have also caused the closure of essential services, including water wells and medical facilities, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

I again unequivocally condemn the widespread killing and injury of civilians in Gaza, the endless displacement of the population in Gaza and the shocking mistreatment of detainees.

I also condemn the continued holding of hostages in Gaza and the firing of rockets toward Israeli population centres, which has continued this month.

Mr. President,

A fundamental shift is required to improve humanitarian operations in Gaza. It is essential to establish a safe enabling environment, meet operational requirements including funding, and ensure that Israeli authorities facilitate access, that will allow for unimpeded movement of food, shelter materials for the winter, medicine, fuel, and the capacity to repair essential life-saving infrastructure. The mounting lawlessness inside the Strip must also be addressed.

The second round of the polio campaign began on 14 October in central and southern Gaza, and it was very successful with over 90 per cent vaccinated, but we have yet to access the north. I urge Israeli authorities to facilitate the full rollout of this campaign and to facilitate a similarly coordinated effort to meet winter needs.

Mr. President,

As the focus remains on Gaza and the escalating violence in the region, the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is also deteriorating.

Violence continued at alarming levels, having intensified since the conflict in Gaza began.

During the reporting period, 54 Palestinians, including three women and eight children, were killed, mostly in the context of ISF operations in Area A, which the IDF say are targeting Palestinian armed groups and militants.

In the same period, 8 Israelis, including four women, were killed by Palestinians in shooting attacks in the West Bank and Israel. Another two Israelis, including one woman, were killed in separate shooting attacks in Israel by Arab citizens of Israel.

On 1 October, two Palestinians carried out a shooting and stabbing attack in Jaffa, killing seven and wounding 15.

On 3 October, in Tulkarm, 18 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike, including one woman and three children. ISF said they killed a Hamas commander and several Hamas and PIJ militants in the camp. This was the single deadliest such incident in the West Bank in nearly twenty years.

With the start of the olive harvest this month, daily settler attacks and harassment continued across the West Bank, sometimes with the presence or support of Israeli forces.

On 17 October, an IDF personnel shot dead a 59-year old Palestinian woman harvesting olives in the West Bank.

The olive harvest is critical to the Palestinian local economy. However, settler violence along with restrictions on access to land imposed by both settlers and Israeli forces place it at grave risk.

I strongly condemn all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror.

I call on Israel to protect the Palestinian population and to hold perpetrators of all violence accountable. I urge security forces to exercise maximum restraint and use lethal force only when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life.

Mr. President,

On 28 October the Israeli Knesset adopted two laws on UNRWA forbidding Israeli state officials from contact with UNRWA or its representatives and prohibiting UNRWA operations within what is referred to as the sovereign territory of the State of Israel. These developments risk the collapse of UNRWA’s operations across the occupied Palestinian Territory and severely undermine humanitarian operations in Gaza, which rely on UNRWA. These bills are set to go into effect in ninety days.

The rights of Palestinian Refugees were set out in a General Assembly resolution that predates the creation of UNRWA. Unilateral steps, such as legislation, which seek to not only undermine United Nations’ mandated work, but threaten to further set back a political resolution to the conflict on the basis of UN resolutions and international law must be avoided.

Mr. President,

The confluence of challenges across the region requires us to act with urgency to cease hostilities and de-escalate.

We must have a ceasefire now. We must have release of hostages in Gaza now.

Without a ceasefire, the fundamental shift required to scale up humanitarian assistance that can meet the current catastrophe and to improve the situation for humanitarian deliveries will be impossible.

We must also concretely advance a political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including by ceasing irreversible and unilateral steps on the ground that undermine the two-State solution.

We urgently need a set of understandings to establish a political and security framework in Gaza in line with the principles I have outlined repeatedly to this Council.

These frameworks must facilitate a Palestinian governance structure that can re-unify Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, politically, economically and administratively with no reductions in its territory, with no displacement of Palestinians from the Strip.

All efforts to these ends must be prioritized.

I am very concerned that facts on the ground are being established that will undermine these core principles for years to come. This includes the attempt by Israel to dismantle UNRWA.

As I have repeatedly said, there can be no long-term solution in Gaza that is not political. There must be a path to the end of the occupation and achieve a two-State solution.

Mr. President,

Israelis and Palestinians don’t deserve this unrelenting conflict that has ruined countless lives. They deserve a better future, one without open-ended conflict, occupation and a regional war.

We must do everything in our power to chart a course towards a just and lasting peace that will enable a two-State solution on the basis of UN resolutions, previous agreements, and international law, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States.

The UN stands ready to support all these efforts.

Thank you.

The fires of conflicts are raging the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Gaza, and in Lebanon. And the heat is being felt in Syria too. Spiralling escalation is already having a major impact on Syria and Syrian civilians.

I have repeatedly warned of the risks of regional spillover and regional escalation dragging Syria into even deeper conflict. This week has seen a major escalation of regional tensions. I share the Secretary General’s deep alarm at the reports of a large number of communication devices exploding across Lebanon as well as in Syria on 17 and 18 September, resulting in casualties including children, and subsequent Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon and Hezbollah rocket fire into Israel. I understand you will meet on this later today. And indeed there are reports just in of an attack this morning on a vehicle at Damascus International Airport. Let me repeat the Secretary-General’s strong appeal for maximum restraint at this extremely dangerous moment for the entire region. And let me add that this latest escalation followed an earlier significant attack on a military site in Syria – not acknowledged by Israel but widely attributed as such – which reportedly caused one of the largest number of casualties in many months. There is a clear and present danger of a wider regional war that drags the Syrian people into its crosshairs.

TOR WENNESLAND

UN SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS

SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFING ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF UN SCR 2334 (2016)

19 September 2024

[As delivered]

Excellency, Madam President,

Members of the Security Council,

I would like at the outset to express my grave concern over the growing risk of a widescale regional escalation. The series of explosions across Lebanon and rockets fired toward Israel in recent days adds to the volatility. I call on all sides to refrain from steps that will further exacerbate the situation and take immediate steps to deescalate.

Now, turning to today’s briefing that is devoted to the thirty-first report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2334 (2016). It covers the period from 11 June to 11 September.

Security Council resolution 2334 (2016) calls on Israel to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem” and to “fully respect all of its legal obligations in this regard.” Settlement activity has, nevertheless, continued.

In total, some 6,370 housing units were advanced or approved in settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of these, 5,840 housing units were in Area C, including three outposts legalized under Israeli law, and nearly 530 housing units were advanced in the Gilo settlement in East Jerusalem. Construction tenders were published for approximately 1,100 housing units in settlements, including 780 in East Jerusalem.

In settlement-related steps, on 18 July, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Central Command signed a military order amending an order from 1995 that implemented the Oslo Accords, so as to grant to the military commander in the area authority over planning and construction in certain parts of Area B that had been transferred to the Palestinian Authority. The civil administration on 25 June declared over 12,700 dunams as state land in the Jordan valley, adjacent to 8,000 dunams declared in March.

Demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures continued across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain, Israeli authorities demolished, seized, or forced people to demolish 373 structures, displacing 553 people, including 250 children. 26 of these structures were donor funded.

Evictions of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem also continued. Following a Supreme Court ruling, on 15 August Israeli security forces (ISF) evicted the Shehadeh family from their home in Silwan, in favour of a settler organization, displacing 35 Palestinians.

One hundred and eighty-eight Palestinians, including 111 children, left their occupied West Bank communities, citing violence and harassment by settlers and shrinking grazing land.

On 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice rendered its Advisory Opinion on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Among its findings, the Court reaffirmed that “the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the régime associated with them, have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law”; and, among other things, concluded that it was of the opinion “that the State of Israel is under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities, and to evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory”. It stated that “the State of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful”; “that the State of Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible”; “that all States are under an obligation not to recognize as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the continued presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”;

Security Council resolution 2334 (2016) calls for “immediate steps to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation and destruction.” Unfortunately, the devastating conflict in Gaza has continued alongside daily violence in the occupied West Bank, with the high number of fatal incidents precluding me from detailing all.

In Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health (MOH), from 11 June to 11 September, at least 3,920 Palestinians were killed and at least 10,197 were injured. This brings the total reported by the MOH, since 7 October, to more than 41,084 Palestinians killed, a majority of whom are reportedly women and children.

According to Israeli sources, 101 hostages are still being held captive of the 251 hostages abducted on 7 October. On 1 September, the IDF discovered six hostages in Gaza killed by Palestinian armed groups, including 2 women, and in separate operations recovered the bodies of 12 other killed hostages and rescued one hostage alive. Israeli sources also report over 1,580 Israelis and foreign nationals killed by Hamas or other Palestinian armed groups, including at least 338 women and 40 children, and 783 members of the security forces, since 7 October in attacks either in or originating from Gaza.

Israel continued to conduct strikes from air, land and sea resulting in tens of thousands of Palestinian casualties, massive displacement of civilians and widespread destruction, including civilian infrastructure.

Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continued to hold hostages in horrific conditions with reports of severe maltreatment, launched attacks at Israeli forces and fired rockets and other projectiles indiscriminately towards Israel. Israel stated that Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups continued to place fighters and military equipment among and underneath dense concentrated areas with civilians.

Israeli operations continued throughout Gaza, displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. 89 percent of Gaza has been placed under evacuation orders at one point or another since 7 October. New evacuation orders have reduced the size of the Israeli-designated “humanitarian zone” in Al Mawasi to just 11 percent of the size Gaza Strip.

Repeated attacks on 30 schools and airstrikes in densely populated areas continued, resulting in the deaths of internally displaced people sheltering in those locations.

On 10 September, three IDF airstrikes on IDP tents in Al Mawasi in Khan Younis killed at least 19 people and injured at least 60 others. The next day, two IDF airstrikes hit al Jaouni school sheltering IDPs in Nuseirat, killing at least 18 people, including children, women, and six UNRWA staff. UNRWA said it was the deadliest incident in the Agency’s history. The IDF stated the target in each strike was a Hamas command and control center.

On 13 July, according to Gaza MoH, at least 91 Palestinians were killed, and over 300 injured, in an IDF airstrike on Al Mawasi, which, according to the Israeli Government, killed the commander of Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades, Mohammed Deif. On 10 August, an IDF airstrike on the Al-Tabe'een school in Gaza City sheltering approximately 6,000 IDPs, killed at least 93 Palestinians and wounded dozens of others according to Gaza MoH. The IDF said 31 militants were killed in this attack.

On 27 August, despite being clearly marked, a WFP team was struck by gunfire as it was moving towards an IDF checkpoint, sustaining 10 bullet shots. On 9 September, the IDF shot at a UN convoy supporting polio vaccinations for children in northern Gaza, caused heavy damage to UN vehicles and held the convoy at gunpoint for eight hours, threatening to arrest 12 UN staff.

In the reporting period, at least 27 UN personnel were killed in Gaza, bringing the total number of UN staff killed since 7 October to 224.

Meanwhile, violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continued at alarming levels.

One hundred and sixty Palestinians, including four women and 28 children, were killed during ISF airstrikes, search-and-arrest operations, armed exchanges, demonstrations and other incidents. One Palestinian was killed by Israeli settlers. A total of 849 Palestinians were injured, including 147 by tear gas inhalation and 370 by live ammunition. A total of 86 Palestinians, including nine children and three women, were killed by airstrikes. In August, Israeli airstrikes in the occupied West Bank killed at least one Palestinian every day, on average. Since 7 October, 185 Palestinians, including 33 children, have been killed in airstrikes in the West Bank.

According to Israeli sources, 14 Israelis, including two women and nine security forces personnel, were killed and another 67 were injured by Palestinians in shooting, stabbing and ramming attacks and other incidents.

ISF carried out 1,673 search-and-arrest operations in the occupied West Bank, resulting in 1,295 Palestinians detained, including at least 57 children. Israel currently holds at least 3,323 Palestinians in administrative detention. The Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict expressed her deep concern about recently published reports by the United Nations describing a dramatic deterioration in conditions of detention for Palestinian men, women and children under Israeli custody, since the 7 October attacks. These reports of sexual violence and other inhumane and degrading treatment could amount to sexualized torture, perpetrated against Palestinian men and women. In July, Israeli military police arrested several Israeli reserve soldiers suspected of the serious sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee.

In the occupied West Bank, most Palestinians were killed in the context of ISF operations in Area A, including during exchanges of fire with armed Palestinians. These situations are characterized by the increased use of airstrikes, IEDs, and destruction to both private property and civilian infrastructure.

From 5 to 6 August, the IDF conducted a major operation in Jenin, killing at least six Palestinians in two airstrikes and one with live ammunition, and injuring another seven in armed clashes. From 28 August to 6 September, the IDF conducted its largest operation in the occupied West Bank since 2002, stating that it was targeting Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members and infrastructure in Jenin, Tulkarem and Tubas. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said 36 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded during the operation, including eight children. The IDF bulldozed water, sewage, electricity and communications lines, and approximately 70 percent of the road network in Jenin city, citing the IED threat to its soldiers. One IDF soldier was shot and killed during the operation.

High levels of settler-related violence continued. On 16 August, scores of armed settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Jit in Qalqilya, shooting and killing one Palestinian man, injuring nine others, and setting fire to Palestinian-owned houses, vehicles, and agricultural land. Israel launched an investigation into the incident. A number of senior Israeli officials condemned the attack. On 26 August, dozens of armed Israeli settlers attacked Wadi Rahal village in Bethlehem, during which a Palestinian man was killed.

Violence against Israelis by Palestinians also continued at high levels. On 11 August, an Israeli man was killed in a shooting attack in the Jordan Valley, for which Hamas claimed responsibility. On 18 August, a Palestinian killed a guard in the Israeli settlement of Kedumim. The following day, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed to have conducted what appeared to be an attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, which led to the death of the attacker and injury to one civilian.

Madam President,

The Security Council, in its resolution 2334 (2016), called upon both parties to refrain from provocative actions, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric. Unfortunately, such acts continued.

A joint statement from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad threatened a return to the use of suicide bombings, a call echoed in a speech by a senior Hamas official, while Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades published a graphic leaflet showing an explosive belt and a bombed Israeli bus.

In a video posted on social media, an Israeli minister said “Palestinian prisoners must be killed. Shot in the head” while urging the passing of the bill by the Knesset allowing capital punishment for terrorist offences. Another minister said of Palestinians in Gaza, “Nobody will let us cause two million civilians to die of hunger, even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned.”

Two Israeli ministers made visits to the Holy Sites in Jerusalem, with one of the ministers calling the site “Israeli sovereign territory” while speaking of policies to change the status quo. Israel’s Office of the Prime Minister stated that there was no change to the status quo.

Madam President,

Resolution 2334 (2016) reiterated calls by the Middle East Quartet for “affirmative steps to be taken immediately to reverse negative trends on the ground that are imperiling the two-State solution.”

The catastrophic public health conditions in Gaza continued to deteriorate as access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities continued to shrink. Severe shortages of fuel and medical supplies continued to limit the functionality of remaining hospitals and healthcare centres, particularly in northern Gaza. Education continued to suffer, with Gaza’s 600,000 children having missed an entire year of school and evacuation orders forcing over 30 temporary education spaces to close. Despite these setbacks, UNRWA expanded learning activities. In August, the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed the first case of polio in 25 years. A polio vaccination campaign was launched on 31 August by WHO and UNICEF, with support from other agencies, including UNRWA, which has thus far vaccinated 70 per cent of some 650,000 children under 10.

Following the Israeli military ground operation into Rafah and the subsequent closure of the Rafah crossing in May, humanitarian organizations faced many obstacles that impeded their ability to regularly pick up supplies entering through the Karem Abu Salem/Kerem Shalom Crossing. These included continued hostilities, impassable roads and deteriorating civil order.

On 6 August, the Israeli Minister of Finance said Israel will confiscate 26 million USD of Palestinian clearance revenues that Israel collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority and transfer it to “the families of terror victims”. The next day, Israel terminated a customs clearing mechanism with Norway that reportedly holds nearly 220 million USD of Palestinian clearance revenues in escrow and demanded the funds be returned to Israel. Israel described this as a response to Norway’s recognition of the State of Palestine in May.

In Israel, some 120,000 Israelis, including 50,000 children, have been displaced from their homes in the south and north of Israel in the context of hostilities.

Madam President,

In resolution 2334 (2016), the Security Council also called upon all States “to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967.” No new steps are known to have been taken in the period.

In its Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 the International Court of Justice, expressed the view that Member States “are under an obligation … to distinguish in their dealings with Israel between the territory of the State of Israel and the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967”.

Resolution 2334 (2016) also called upon “all parties to continue, inter alia, to exert collective efforts to launch credible negotiations on all final status issues in the Middle East peace process.”

Intense negotiations between international mediators and the parties continued in Doha and Cairo to formulate a deal for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages in Gaza.

On 27 June, Canada announced that it was imposing new sanctions on “seven individuals and five entities for their role in facilitating, supporting or financially contributing to acts of violence by Israeli extremist settlers against Palestinian civilians and their property.” The U.S. and the European Union also announced another round of sanctions and restrictive measures against settlers and entities. On 13 July, Argentina designated Hamas a terrorist organization and ordered a freeze on its financial assets.

From 21-23 July fourteen Palestinian factions, including Fatah and Hamas, attended reconciliation talks in Beijing where they signed a declaration reiterating their commitment to form a national unity government and implement previous agreements.

Madam President,

In closing, allow me to share the Secretary-General’s observations on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016).

1. I once again strongly condemn the horrific attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups in Israel on 7 October 2023, their continued holding of hostages in Gaza and the recent deliberate killing of six hostages whose bodies showed signs of severe mistreatment. There is no justification for the deliberate killing, maiming, torture and abduction of civilians and the use of sexual violence. Hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally. And, for as long as they are held, they must be treated humanely and allowed to receive visits and assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross. I condemn the continued indiscriminate attacks, including the firing of rockets toward Israeli population centres, and the use of human shields, which are prohibited by international humanitarian law, and must cease.

2. I again unequivocally condemn the widespread killing and injury of civilians in Gaza, including women and children, and the deprivation of essentials to survive. Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. I am concerned over what may amount to serious violations of international humanitarian law, including possible noncompliance with the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions. I mourn the UN staff killed in Gaza and strongly condemn the killing of all health and humanitarian personnel. These incidents must stop immediately and be thoroughly and independently investigated.

3. The level of suffering witnessed in Gaza is unprecedented in my mandate as Secretary-General of the United Nations. To address the colossal humanitarian needs and improve the intolerable conditions of civilians, Israel must fully open all crossings into Gaza and facilitate the immediate, safe, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip in accordance with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

4. I reiterate my call for an immediate ceasefire to end human suffering and urge all sides to redouble efforts to reach a deal that will bring about an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. I continue to engage all stakeholders towards these objectives. A deal is crucial to saving lives, releasing all the hostages, reducing regional tensions and enabling the UN, in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, to accelerate efforts to address the pressing needs of Gaza’s population. I welcome the efforts of Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to reach a deal.

5. I strongly condemn all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror. The escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank and Israel is highly alarming. Palestine refugee camps are sustaining significant infrastructure damage during ISF operations throughout the occupied West Bank. I urge security forces to exercise maximum restraint and use lethal force only when it is strictly unavoidable to protect life. I call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law. All those injured must have access to medical care, and humanitarian workers must be able to reach everyone in need. I also recall that Israel, as the Occupying Power, has a responsibility to ensure that the civilian population is protected against all acts of violence and call on Israel to ensure thorough, independent and prompt investigations into all instances of possible excessive use of force.

6. I am deeply concerned about the large number of Palestinians, including children, detained by Israeli security forces and the increase in the number of Palestinians held in administrative detention by Israel since 7 October 2023. Reports of torture and other ill-treatment during arrest and detention, including sexual violence, are also deeply concerning.

7. I condemn the attacks carried out by Israeli settlers against Palestinians, including in the proximity and with the complicity of Israeli Security Forces. The attack on Jit was illustrative of the increasingly coordinated, and deadly nature of these attacks. Attacks by Palestinians against Israelis must also cease immediately. I condemn Hamas’s attempted attack in Tel Aviv and I am alarmed by its call for a return to the use of suicide bombings. All necessary steps must be taken to hold perpetrators accountable.

8. I reiterate the utmost need to uphold the status quo at the Holy Sites in Jerusalem, taking into account the special and historic role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as custodian of the Holy Sites.

9. I remain deeply troubled by the relentless expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Israeli policies and practices are systematically altering the land in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, creating dangerous dynamics and an existential threat to the two-State solution. Settlement expansion, settler violence and recent Israeli administrative steps and large-scale state land declarations in the occupied West Bank are fundamentally changing the landscape and deepening the occupation. I reiterate that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law. In this respect, I note the recent findings by the International Court of Justice mentioned above in its Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024.

10. The demolition and seizure of Palestinian-owned structures may entail numerous human rights violations and raise concerns about the risk of forcible transfer. I note the conclusion of the International Court of Justice in this regard. I urge the Government of Israel to end this practice, in line with its obligations under international law. Palestinians must be allowed to build legally and address their development needs.

11. I am alarmed by the multiple instances in which officials have engaged in dangerous provocations, incitement and inflammatory language, which must be rejected by all.

12. I express my deepest appreciation to UNRWA and to all the UN agencies and personnel and humanitarian aid workers, who remain committed to their work across the OPT despite the significant security risks. I am deeply concerned by efforts to undermine their lifesaving work. The inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times by all.

13. To meet the challenges ahead, we must establish political and security frameworks that can address the humanitarian catastrophe, start early recovery, rebuild Gaza, and lay the groundwork for a political process to end the occupation and establish a two-State solution. These frameworks must facilitate a legitimate Palestinian government that can re-unify Gaza and the occupied West Bank politically, economically and administratively while reversing the steadily deteriorating dynamics in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian unity is an essential building block to a just and lasting peace. Israeli measures that undermine the PA must be urgently addressed. The Government of Palestine will require significant support from the international community to advance these objectives.

14. Finally, any lasting progress cannot be divorced from the ongoing Israeli occupation and unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Progress towards peace must address and fully realize the fundamental and legitimate right of Palestinians to self-determination and sovereignty over the entirety of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It must also address Israel’s legitimate security concerns. We must collectively take steps towards establishing a political framework that outlines tangible, irreversible steps towards ending the occupation and establishing a two-State solution – Israel and Palestine, of which Gaza is an integral part, living side-by-side in peace and security, on the basis of United Nations resolutions, previous agreements, and international law, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States. The United Nations will continue to support all efforts towards that goal.

Thank you.