{"id":314917,"date":"2026-01-28T11:20:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T16:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&#038;p=314917"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:23:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T14:23:05","slug":"consolidate-gaza-ceasefire-halt-escalating-violence-settlement-activity-in-west-bank-deputy-special-coordinator-tells-security-council-open-debate","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/consolidate-gaza-ceasefire-halt-escalating-violence-settlement-activity-in-west-bank-deputy-special-coordinator-tells-security-council-open-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Consolidate Gaza Ceasefire, Halt Escalating Violence, Settlement Activity in West Bank, Deputy Special Coordinator Tells Security Council Open Debate &#8211; Meeting Coverage"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"layout layout--onecol\">\n<div class=\"layout__region layout__region--content\">\n<div class=\"block block-layout-builder block-field-block-node-press-field-un-bodies\">\n<div class=\"block-content\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-un-bodies field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<div class=\"item-list\">\n<ul class=\"shs clearfix shs-linked list-group\">10098th Meeting (AM &amp; PM)<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"shs clearfix shs-linked list-group\">SC\/16284<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"shs clearfix shs-linked list-group\">28 January 2026<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"layout layout--onecol\">\n<div class=\"layout__region layout__region--content\">\n<div class=\"block block-layout-builder block-field-block-node-press-field-display-title\">\n<div class=\"block-content\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-display-title field--type-string field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<p class=\"page-header\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px\">As the Security Council gathered the day after the body of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza was retrieved, a United Nations Middle East peace expert stressed the need to consolidate the tenuous ceasefire, while also raising alarm about the escalation of violence and settlements in the occupied West Bank.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"block block-layout-builder block-field-block-node-press-body\">\n<div class=\"block-content\">\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<p>Ramiz Alakbarov, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/security-council-briefing-on-the-situation-in-the-middle-east-statement-by-unsco-deputy-special-coordinator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process<\/a>, hoped that the return of Ran Gvili\u2019s body to Israel for burial will lead to healing. \u00a0\u201cThe announced start of the second phase of [United States] President [Donald J.] Trump\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/security-council-resolution-on-president-donald-j-trumps-comprehensive-plan-to-end-the-gaza-conflict-s-res-2803-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">20-point Comprehensive Plan<\/a>\u00a0is a critical step in consolidating the ceasefire in Gaza,\u201d alongside the establishment of the subsidiary bodies of the Board of Peace, including the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the Office of the High Representative for Gaza, he said.<\/p>\n<p>However, \u201cdespite the ceasefire, the Israeli military continues to conduct military operations with air strikes, shelling and gunfire occurring across the Strip,\u201d he pointed out. \u00a0Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, including many women and children.<\/p>\n<p>Recalling the misery and hope he witnessed recently in the Strip, he described farmers, unable to import seeds, repairing greenhouses with makeshift materials and families who sat vigil through rainy nights \u201cjust to hold down the four corners of their tents\u201d. \u00a0Humanitarian work continues to be hindered by insecurity, customs clearance challenges, delays and denials of cargo at crossings, and limited routes.<\/p>\n<p>The West Bank has seen extensive Israeli military operations, settler violence and arrest campaigns of Palestinians \u2014 including children \u2014 by Israeli security forces. \u00a0\u201cThe combination of settlement advancement, State land declarations and persistent establishment of outposts is carving up and making vast swaths of land inaccessible for Palestinian use in the occupied West Bank,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He also detailed \u201cthe pressure campaign\u201d against United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u00a0(UNRWA), including forcible entry with bulldozers and demolitions at its Headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem and \u201cabhorrent calls for the annihilation of UNRWA staff\u201d by Israeli officials. \u00a0Further, Israel continues to withhold nearly $2.5\u00a0billion of Palestinian clearance revenue.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, these actions taken together are undermining any prospects of a two-State solution. \u00a0\u201cUnless urgently addressed, they may also jeopardize progress on implementing the second phase of the ceasefire agreement,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n<p>The President of the United States, that country\u2019s delegate said, recently announced the Board of Peace while speaking in Davos and the transition to phase two of the United States\u2019 20-point plan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe results of phase one speak for themselves,\u201d he said, pointing to the establishment of a ceasefire, the delivery of aid and the return of all hostages.\u00a0 Phase two will \u201cadvance the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza\u201d, he said, thanking those who have committed to joining the Board \u2014 including Council members Bahrain and Pakistan.\u00a0 The Board \u201cis acting, and not just talking\u201d, he said, and will help realize a \u201cnew Gaza\u201d and break the decades-old cycle of violence.\u00a0 He warned, however, that \u201cassistance cannot devolve into dependence\u201d, and that Hamas and other militant groups \u201cmust live up to their side of the bargain\u201d by disarming.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>With Hostages Returned, Hamas Must Be Disarmed, Gaza Demilitarized<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>\u201cFrom the first day of the war in Gaza, Israel has been clear before this Council about its goals,\u201d said that country\u2019s representative.\u00a0 These are \u201cevery hostage home\u201d and \u201cHamas disarmed\u201d; and now the first goal has been achieved.\u00a0 \u201cToday, for the first time in 843\u00a0days, I sit in this Chamber without the yellow hostage pin on my lapel,\u201d he noted, holding up the small ribbon.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Israel works towards its second goal \u2014 the disarmament of Hamas, he said, adding:\u00a0 \u201cIt does not mean weapons hidden underground while promises are made above ground.\u201d\u00a0 Hamas remains heavily armed, still holding thousands of rockets and anti-tank missiles and tens of thousands of assault rifles.\u00a0 \u201cThis is not a movement preparing for peace, this is a terrorist army preparing for its next war,\u201d he stressed.\u00a0 Israel is upholding its commitments, he said, detailing aid trucks entering Gaza, as well as his Government\u2019s decision to open all major crossings into the Strip.\u00a0 \u201cAid is flowing, coordination continues,\u201d he said. \u201cHamas must now be dismantled completely, Gaza must be demilitarized and deradicalized,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Peace Still Possible, But Occupation of Palestine Must End<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>\u201cPalestine is a reliable partner for peace if peace is the objective,\u201d said the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine. \u00a0While welcoming the ceasefire agreement and acknowledging that it saved thousands of lives, he noted also that at least 500\u00a0Palestinians have since been killed. \u00a0For the ceasefire to succeed, Israel must cease dictating the future of Gaza and fully withdraw from the territory. \u00a0He also noted the highest number of West Bank displacements since\u00a01967.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYet, we still see a chance for peace,\u201d he said \u2014 \u201ca real historical opportunity to end the occupation\u201d. \u00a0Any peace process must preserve the unity and territorial integrity of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, and \u201cPalestine must be central to, and fully represented in, any process that determines its future\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Welcoming the recovery of the remains of the last Israeli body, he asked: \u00a0\u201cWhat about the countless Palestinian families whose loved ones have been killed, with thousands of bodies still crushed and buried under rubble, yet to be found, yet to be identified and to be given dignified burial?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The all-day open debate on this item featured more than 60\u00a0speakers, many echoing the need to consolidate the ceasefire and reaffirming the importance of the two-State solution.\u00a0 Pakistan\u2019s representative noted that his country, together with other Arab and Islamic countries, has joined the Board of Peace. \u00a0He reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Board\u2019s mission as a transitional administration towards consolidating a permanent ceasefire, supporting Gaza\u2019s reconstruction and advancing a lasting peace grounded in the Palestinian right to self-determination. \u00a0The representative of Qatar \u2014 another member of the Board \u2014 also reaffirmed its mandate \u201cas an interim mechanism\u201d established under the plan endorsed by resolution\u00a02803\u00a0(2025).<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Advance Recognition, Admission of State of Palestine<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Egypt\u2019s delegate recalled the Sharm el\u2011Sheikh Peace Summit of October\u00a02025 and called for continued active American engagement in implementing all phases of the peace plan.\u00a0Reconstruction must go beyond physical rebuilding to restoring conditions needed for everyday life and must enable the people to remain on their land. \u00a0He welcomed the growing international momentum supporting the recognition of the State of Palestine. \u00a0The representative of T\u00fcrkiye, speaking for the members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation\u00a0(OIC), called for \u201cexpeditious action\u201d in the Council regarding the State of Palestine\u2019s admission as a full UN member.\u00a0 The Council must \u201ccommence action on the implementation of its relevant resolutions, including resolution\u00a02334\u00a0(2016), with the aim of transforming the ceasefire into a just, durable and comprehensive peace\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n<p>The representative of the United Kingdom called for the swift implementation of phase two of the Peace Plan, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the decommissioning of Hamas\u2019 weapons, the deployment of the International Stabilization Forces and a clear timeline for transition of governance from the Board of Peace to a reformed Palestinian Authority. \u00a0\u201cHamas can have no role in the future governance of Gaza,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Delegates also called for further clarity about the next steps, with France\u2019s representative noting that the founding text of the Board of Peace raises \u201cmajor political and legal questions \u2014 particularly concerning its scope of application and its governance\u201d. \u00a0The representative of the Russian Federation said: \u00a0\u201cWe await from the American side more details\u201d regarding the deployment of the International Stabilization Forces. \u00a0He called for the restoration of \u201cadministrative, political and economic unity of Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem\u201d, within the framework of a Palestinian State based on the 1967\u00a0borders.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s delegate said the creation of so-called \u201cInternational Stabilization Forces\u201d and a \u201cBoard of Peace\u201d \u2014 undermine Palestinians\u2019 fundamental right to self-determination.\u00a0 They legitimize the continued Israeli occupation of Gaza, reduce Palestinian authority over their own land to \u201ca mere service-delivery role\u201d and \u201csideline the Security Council\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>New West Bank Settlements Undermine Viable Palestinian State<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Nicaragua\u2019s delegate, Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, said that Israel\u2019s approval of 19\u00a0new settlements in the occupied West Bank \u2014 including the re-establishment of settlements evacuated in\u00a02005 \u2014 represents a serious setback. \u00a0\u201cThese illegal, colonial actions openly seek to destroy the contiguity of the Palestinian land and foreclose the possibility of a viable Palestinian State,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Echoing that, Jordan\u2019s delegate, speaking for the Arab Group, also condemned the continued settlement-expansion, the demolition of homes, the seizure of lands and settler terrorism. \u00a0Welcoming the United States President\u2019s confirmation that Israel must not annex any part of the West Bank, he reaffirmed that the Jordanian Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is the sole legal authority responsible for managing Christian and Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n<p>Several speakers stressed the vital role of UNRWA, with the representative of China expressing grave concern over the forceful demolition of its premises in East Jerusalem, which were set on fire.\u00a0 The representative of Somalia, Council President for January, spoke in his national capacity to stress that Israel\u2019s undermining of UNRWA violates humanitarian principles and constitutes \u201can abdication of Israel\u2019s responsibilities as an occupying Power under international law\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Related content:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/statement-by-vice-chair-of-the-palestinian-rights-committee-at-security-council-28jan2026\/\">&#8220;Peace cannot coexist with annexation\u00a0and oppression&#8221; Statement by Vice-Chair of the Palestinian Rights Committee at Security Council Open Debate &#8211; Question of Palestine<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/security-council-briefing-on-the-situation-in-the-middle-east-statement-by-unsco-deputy-special-coordinator\/\">Security Council Briefing on the Situation in the Middle East &#8211; Statement by UNSCO Deputy Special Coordinator &#8211; Question of Palestine<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/security-council-resolution-on-president-donald-j-trumps-comprehensive-plan-to-end-the-gaza-conflict-s-res-2803-2025\/\">Security Council Resolution on President Donald J. Trump\u2019s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict [S\/RES\/2803 (2025)] &#8211; Question of Palestine<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>10098th Meeting (AM &amp; PM) SC\/16284 28 January 2026 As the Security Council gathered the day after the body of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza was retrieved, a United Nations Middle East peace expert stressed the need to consolidate the tenuous ceasefire, while also raising alarm about the escalation of violence and settlements in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/consolidate-gaza-ceasefire-halt-escalating-violence-settlement-activity-in-west-bank-deputy-special-coordinator-tells-security-council-open-debate\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":301,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[6999],"document-source":[1362],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2265,2005,2029,1741,5200,6866,6771,6891,6245,6251],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[],"class_list":["post-314917","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-meeting-coverage","document-source-security-council","document-subject-ceasefire","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-house-demolitions","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-humanitarian-relief","document-subject-settler-violence","document-subject-two-state-solution","document-subject-unrwa","document-subject-violence","document-subject-west-bank","entity-united-nations-system"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/314917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/301"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/314917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":314939,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/314917\/revisions\/314939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=314917"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=314917"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=314917"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=314917"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=314917"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=314917"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=314917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}