NGO Action News – 05 June 2025

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This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations working on the question of Palestine. The Committee and the Division for Palestinian Rights of the UN Secretariat provide the information “as is” without warranty of any kind, and do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in the websites linked in the newsletter.

Middle East

• On 4 June, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights published the article “Israel’s Violations of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law in the West Bank in May 2025”. According to the article, attacks by Israeli forces and settlers have resulted in the killing of 19 Palestinians, including 9 civilians, amongst them 2 children, in the month of May 2025 in the occupied West Bank. In addition, the NGO reported that Israeli forces also demolished 123 Palestinian-owned facilities during this period in the West Bank, including in occupied East Jerusalem.
• On 3 June, Ir Amim informed that Israeli authorities were moving forward with an extensive new settlement plan along the northern perimeter of Sheikh Jarrah, in East Jerusalem, that will further seal off the area and transform the character of the Palestinian neighborhood. The plan calls for the construction of 1,500 housing units. The NGO added that the plan joins a spate of other recent efforts to expand Israeli settlement in Sheikh Jarrah, including the ongoing eviction proceedings against Palestinian families and the settlement plans for Um Haroun and adjacent Ohr Somayach yeshiva on the southern side of the neighborhood.
• On 1 June, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights issued a press release to condemn the killings committed by the Israeli forces near two aid distribution points in the southern and central Gaza Strip, which resulted in the killing and injury of dozens of Palestinians who had gathered in search of aid. The NGO urged the international community to exert pressure on Israel to abolish this mechanism that requires civilians to move to dangerous areas under its control and to resume aid entry, alongside allowing the international organizations to distribute aid across areas of displacement, in addition to allowing the free and uninterrupted entry of goods. Al Mezan, and Gisha, among other organizations, published articles on this issue as well.
• On 29 May, Peace Now reported that the Israeli Government has decided to establish 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. The NGO added that all the new settlements are in areas deep inside the West Bank, territories that in any future agreement and all negotiation frameworks were considered areas designated for a Palestinian state.
• On 28 May, Al Shabaka published the webinar “Israel’s War on Palestinian Journalists”. Panelists discussed what they consider to be Israel’s targeted assassination campaign against Palestinian journalists and the complicity of Western media in normalizing these crimes.

Africa, Asia and Europe

• On 3 June, the Palestinian Return Centre submitted a legal briefing to Members of the UK Parliament titled “Weaponising Aid: An Urgent Legal Briefing to Parliament on Israel’s Crimes in Gaza.” According to the NGO, the briefing highlighted the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Strip, famine reaching unprecedented levels in the north of the enclave and the recent incidents in Rafah, where Israeli forces opened fire on civilians waiting in line for food assistance, killing dozens.
• On 29 May, Law for Palestine held the webinar “Starvation as a Weapon: International Legal Responsibilities and the Diplomatic Convoy to Confront Deliberate Famine in Gaza”. During this event, panelists discussed the imminent famine in Gaza and how to mobilize support around available tools to the international community, including a proposed diplomatic humanitarian convoy to end the starvation of civilians and the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

North America

• On 3 June, J Street issued a statement on continued reports of chaos, shootings and fatalities near Gaza distribution sites. The NGO expressed its distress from reports that dozens of people have again been killed in desperate, chaotic scenes at or near aid distribution sites set up by the US and Israeli-backed ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’. The statement reads further that along with reports that armed groups have opened fire near distribution centers, Israeli soldiers have also twice opened fire near crowds of civilians who have been forced to walk miles to distribution centers, resulting in dozens of reported fatalities.
• On 1 June, the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) published the webinar “What an American Doctor Saw in Gaza”. Peter Beinart, FMEP Fellow, spoke with Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, who recently returned from spending the month of March 2025 in Gaza as a trauma and critical care surgeon. Panelists discussed how children in Gaza were suffering headshot wounds, the killing of Gaza’s medical workers, and what it was like to try to bring medical supplies into Gaza.
• On 30 May, Churches for Middle East Peace issued a press release to announce the release of the report “Humanitarian Access Snapshot”, covering the period from 26 March to 28 May 2025. The NGO stated that the people of Gaza continued to endure the devastating consequences of Israel’s indiscriminate bombing campaigns, which have compounded more than 19 months of brutal destruction. It also added that Israeli annexation was accelerating in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, through violent military raids, settlement expansion, intensified demolitions, and mass forced displacements. 

United Nations

• On 4 June, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher issued a statement following the death of many Palestinians at food distribution centers in Gaza. Tom Fletcher called for the perpetrators to be held accountable and for the Gaza crossings to open, to allow the UN to provide the necessary goods and services to the affected population. OHCHR also issued a statement on this topic, as did other UN entities.
• On 29 May, Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. The Secretary-General stated that the promise of a two-State solution was at risk of dwindling to the point of disappearance, adding that the political commitment to this long-standing goal was farther than it had ever been. António Guterres stressed that there must be no hindrance in humanitarian aid entering Gaza, including through the vital work of UNRWA, and that it was time to stop the repeated displacement of the Gaza population, along with any question of forced displacement outside of Gaza. The Secretary-General also emphasized the obligation under international law to respect the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its personnel, including the absolute inviolability of United Nations premises, property and assets, and the immunity from legal process of the United Nations.
• On 28 May, the Bureau of the UN Palestinian Rights Committee (CEIRPP) issued a press release to mark 600 days into the war on Gaza, raising alarm over the deepening humanitarian catastrophe and the systematic denial of aid to a besieged population. The Committee Bureau called on all Member States to exert meaningful political and economic pressure to stop the atrocities, lift all barriers to humanitarian access, and ensure accountability for violations of international law. The CEIRPP stated further that while the June 2025 International Conference on the two-State solution marked a critical and long-overdue step, the unbearable human suffering in Gaza demanded immediate and decisive action from all Member States to uphold their moral and legal responsibilities and bring an end to this ongoing tragedy.