Immense suffering in Gaza, escalating settler violence in the OPT, Chile joins CEIRPP as Observer - Action by the UN System Relevant to the Question of Palestine (June 2026 Monthly Bulletin)

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Immense human suffering in Gaza and volatile OPT situation, UN Deputy Special Coordinator tells the Security Council
Chile joins the UN Palestinian Rights Committee as an observer
Escalating Israeli settler violence and deliberate targeting of children in the OPT
1,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since ceasefire; UNRWA Pledging Conference

I. Immense human suffering in Gaza and volatile OPT situation, UN Deputy Special Coordinator tells the Security Council

Briefing the UN Security Council on 29 June, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process stressed that Gaza still faced “profound uncertainty and immense human suffering”. Israeli airstrikes and military operations resulted in over 1,000 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire. Sanitation conditions remained “alarming”, he said. The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Gaza, remained volatile. He expressed concern by the steps taken by Israeli authorities to implement formal land registration in Area C, representing serious risk of further settlement expansion and entrenchment of the unlawful occupation, and reiterated alarm over ?settler violence, access restrictions, demolitions and prolonged security operations that “have resulted in the largest displacement crisis in the West Bank since 1967”.

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II. Chile joins the UN Palestinian Rights Committee as an observer

On 24 June, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People held its 429^th meeting to discuss its recent and upcoming activities, the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and approved Chile’s?request for?observer status. The Committee also received a briefing from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on the financial and operational situation of the Agency.

Earlier, on 4 June, the Committee Bureau condemned the order signed by the Minister of Finance of Israel, Bezalel Smotrich, instructing the Israeli Civil Administration to begin proceeding with the eviction of the Palestinian community of Khan al-Ahmar in the so-called “E1 area” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It further urged Israel to?immediately?cease?all?illegal?settlement activities?in the?occupied?West Bank, including East Jerusalem,?and?to halt?all acts?of violence against?Palestinians.

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III. Escalating Israeli settler violence and deliberate targeting of children in the OPT

On 1 June, 14 UN experts expressed alarm about the “surging Israeli settler terror” and the unprecedented level of brutality. “Violence is used as a calculated, targeted tool to deny Palestinians access to essential services, agricultural and grazing areas, with the ultimate aim of severing the people’s connection to the land”, they said. The experts called on Israel to immediately cease facilitating settler violence and forced displacement, ensure accountability for settler attacks and effective protection of Palestinian communities. They also called for the safe and dignified return of displaced residents.

On 18 June, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel issued a new report entitled “The essence of childhood has been destroyed”: Israel’s deliberate targeting of Palestinian children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory since 7 October 2023”. The Commission concluded that in Gaza “the Israeli government and security forces have deliberately carried out acts inflicting death and severe bodily and mental harm on hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children”, by directly shooting at their vital organs and using high impact weapons causing widespread and systematic attacks on civilian infrastructure crowded with children. The killings continued even after the October 2025 ceasefire. The “harm suffered by Palestinian children was not incidental but intended to destroy the existence of the Palestinians in Gaza as a group”, the Commission emphasized. Furthermore, the 2026 Secretary-General’s report on Children and Armed Conflict released on 16 June indicates that “the highest number of grave violations were verified in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory” with 12,445 violations against 5,663 children, most of whom were Palestinians.

The UN Human Rights Office verified 629 fatalities of the 1,007 recorded by the Ministry of Health in Gaza, including 196 killed in Israeli attacks near the so-called?“yellow line”, from 10 October 2025 through early April 2026, according to a post on X on 18 June.

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IV. 1,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since ceasefire; UNRWA Pledging Conference

On 18 June, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator briefed the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Gaza since the ceasefire. He highlighted improvements in humanitarian access, expansion of health services, food distribution, shelters and rehabilitation of schools. However, he denounced that Palestinians continue to be killed, with the Ministry of Health in Gaza reporting over 1,000 deaths since 10 October, including over 250 children according to UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Too many Palestinians, he said, are being squeezed into an “ever-shrinking strip of land”, suffering from deteriorated sanitation conditions and limited services. The Under-Secretary-General called for international diplomacy to regain focus on the implementation of “resolution 2803, including a genuine ceasefire, the disarmament of Hamas and civilian leadership in Gaza”. On 26 June, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), reported that “most of the Gaza Strip is off limits to Palestinians and heavily restricted for aid workers to reach” and that Israeli forces have used lethal force to enforce access restrictions to areas, citing data on fatalities verified by the UN Human Rights Office.

On 30 June, the UN General Assembly hosted the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the Announcement of?Voluntary Contributions to UNRWA, a pledging conference seeking sufficient and predictable financial contributions to the Agency. The UN Secretary-General and the President of the UN General Assembly called for urgent international funding for the Agency, stressing its vital role in support of Palestine refugees and regional stability. UNRWA Commissioner-General ad interim stressed that in Gaza the Agency remains the largest humanitarian actor and most capable of providing services at scale. In the occupied West Bank, the Agency addresses the needs of Palestine refugees affected by the largest displacement since 1967 resulting from Israeli military operations in northern West Bank. Despite measures such as cost control, cashflow management, and reduction of service delivery hours, UNRWA cashflow deficit remains USD 100 million in 2026.

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Updates by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
- Humanitarian Situation Report – 5 June 2026 (6 June)
- Closure of all crossings hinders flow of life-saving aid (8 June)
- Vital crossing re-opens but red tape, limited funding curtail humanitarian response (9 June)
- Rafah reopens as UN continues aid efforts amid access constraints (10 June)
- Reported impact snapshot – Gaza Strip (10 June 2026) (12 June)
- Despite hurdles, food assistance reaches 420,000 people this month (16 June)
- Approval processes hamper aid delivery as settler violence continues (17 June)
- UN warns of escalating settler violence?(18 June)
- “Gaza civilians cannot wait for diplomacy”, UN Relief Chief tells Security Council (18 June)
- Fuel shortages force cuts to services as violence continues (22 June)
- UN urges civilians be protected as UNICEF Youth Champion killed (23 June)
- Overnight strikes force new displacement as aid agencies rush to respond (24 June)
- Gaza health services strained by fuel, supply shortages (25 June)
- Response efforts continue, signs of recovery in the livestock sector (26 June)
- Humanitarian Situation Report – 26 June 2026 (26 June)
- Strikes in Gaza kill civilians, destroy makeshift tents (30 June)