{"id":318537,"date":"2026-05-21T16:54:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=318537"},"modified":"2026-06-01T16:59:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T20:59:16","slug":"meeting-coverage-unsc-21may26","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/meeting-coverage-unsc-21may26\/","title":{"rendered":"Ceasefire, \u2018Far from Perfect\u2019, Remains Basis for Gaza Recovery, Speakers Tell Security Council amid Calls for Urgent, Full Implementation"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

21 May 2026<\/p>\n

SC\/16364<\/p>\n

10155th Meeting (AM)<\/p>\n

The tenuous ceasefire in Gaza is \u201cfar from perfect\u201d, with ongoing Israeli attacks and no tangible recovery in sight for territory\u2019s beleaguered Palestinian population, Gaza\u2019s High Representative on the newly established Board of Peace told the Security Council today.<\/p>\n

Nickolay Mladenov \u2014 who was formerly the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process \u2014 briefed the 15-member Council on the occasion of the release of the Board\u2019s first report (document\u00a0S\/2026\/418<\/a>), and six months since the parties signed onto the United States-brokered \u201cComprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict\u201d \u2014 widely known as the Washington Accord.<\/p>\n

No Recovery in Gaza<\/strong><\/h3>\n

He said that while the guns have largely fallen silent and food security for Palestinians has meaningfully improved, \u201cthere is no recovery in Gaza\u201d.\u00a0 Some 80\u00a0per\u00a0cent of buildings in the Strip were damaged or destroyed, more than 1\u00a0million people lack permanent shelter, work and water are scarce and health and education systems have not been rebuilt.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, he said, civilians are still being killed, families still live in fear, and movement restrictions continue to obstruct daily life.\u00a0 The withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, required by the ceasefire, has not yet taken place as Hamas has failed to commit to its main obligation \u2014 complete disarmament.\u00a0 Israeli restrictions and delays in delivering humanitarian aid are shaping Palestinians\u2019 perceptions of whether the war is truly over.<\/p>\n

Emphasizing that every ceasefire violation \u201crisks unravelling what has been painstakingly built\u201d, he urged Hamas to accept the proposed disarmament road map and Israel to uphold all its commitments.\u00a0 Diplomacy must continue, but \u201cnot as an excuse for delay\u00a0while 2\u00a0million people wait in desperate conditions\u201d, he stressed, adding that the Council should accept \u201cnothing less\u201d than the honouring of commitments made by all sides and endorsed by its own\u00a0resolution 2803 (2025)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot ignore the current alarming trends, or their dire implications for Palestinians, Israelis, and the entire region,\u201d agreed Ramiz Alakbarov, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.\u00a0 \u201cAs I brief you today, the situation across the [Territory] is increasingly precarious.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that settler-related violence and incitement are also driving tensions in the West Bank.\u00a0 Humanitarian needs are acute, with the population dependent on daily aid deliveries that remain restricted, despite some improvement.\u00a0 Funding also remains highly constrained, with just over $540\u00a0million received of the more than $4\u00a0billion required.<\/p>\n

Gazans \u2018Cannot Take More War\u2019, Deputy Special Coordinator Warns<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Meanwhile, he said calls for resumed widespread hostilities are emerging, even as talks continue towards the second phase of the Washington Accord.\u00a0 Resolution 2803 (2025), which endorsed the ceasefire, must be fully implemented, including the\u00a0disarmament of Hamas, Israeli withdrawal and deployment of the International Stabilization Force.\u00a0 \u201cLet me be clear \u2014 the people of Gaza cannot take more war,\u201d he stressed. \u00a0\u201cThis scenario must be avoided at all costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Humanitarian Aid \u2018Far Below\u2019 Actual Need<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rami Hijjo,\u00a0<\/strong>Director of humanitarian projects in the Gaza Strip for the Palestine Red Crescent Society, also addressed the Council.\u00a0 Detailing the harrowing conditions under which humanitarian workers operate, he said his organization lost 56 staff members, 30 of them while on duty.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are operating under extremely harsh and complex conditions,\u201d he said, noting that his group\u2019s 12 ambulances in the West Bank remain unable to enter Gaza due to Israeli restrictions. \u00a0Humanitarian assistance received since the beginning of 2026 remains far below actual needs, medical teams cannot reach patients and entire families \u2014 including the very sick and elderly \u2014 are forced to reside in plastic tents.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, he said, a severe rodent infestation is spreading through the rubble. \u00a0Sharing the story of an elderly woman who was bitten and suffered major health complications as a result, he added: \u00a0\u201cEvery single day is a battle for basic survival.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Notable\u2019 Gains Overshadowed by Israel Ceasefire Breaches, Hamas Refusal to Disarm<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Council members also shared their views of progress made and gaps remaining, with widely diverging opinions.<\/p>\n

Several speakers welcomed the progress outlined in the Board of Peace report, while acknowledging that \u201cconsiderable challenges\u201d remain.\u00a0 The representative of Greece joined others in welcoming the overall holding of the ceasefire, despite many reported violations.\u00a0 Humanitarian aid delivery has also been scaled up and all the hostages released, she said, adding: \u00a0\u201cThese are notable achievements, unthinkable seven or eight months ago.\u201d \u00a0However, peace will remain incomplete without further action by both parties, she said.<\/p>\n

The representative of the United States said the remaining challenges in Gaza can be overcome if nations work together.\u00a0Her country will cooperate with Israel, T\u00fcrkiye, Qatar and others on the Board of Peace to ensure the Washington Accord\u2019s full implementation.\u00a0 Noting that the diversion of humanitarian aid by armed groups has been virtually eliminated, she said there is no replacement for the critical next step:\u00a0 \u201cHamas must demilitarize \u2014 full stop.\u201d\u00a0 Under the auspices of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, the territory will be fully deradicalized, she said, finally becoming a \u201cterror-free zone\u201d that poses no threat to its neighbours.<\/p>\n

Panama\u2019s delegate said that, despite partial progress, \u201crelief remains insufficient\u201d compared to the pace of deterioration on the ground.\u00a0 Underscoring that UN support remains essential for any current or future peace initiatives, he said: \u00a0\u201cThe path towards a just, dignified and sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians doesn\u2019t need to be reinvented\u00a0\u2014 it needs political will to be implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe past six months have not brought lasting peace to Gaza,\u201d agreed Denmark\u2019s speaker, describing a level of conflict that is \u201cneither war nor peace\u201d.\u00a0 Echoed by the representatives of Pakistan, Somalia and Latvia, she said all parties must respect the ceasefire and Israel must lift aid restrictions.<\/p>\n

Calls for Board of Peace to Take More Responsibility<\/strong><\/h3>\n

China\u2019s representative agreed, adding that the guarantors of the Washington Accord must take\u00a0more responsibility to ensure its implementation. \u00a0He joined several other speakers, including Liberia\u2019s delegate, in strongly rejecting Israel\u2019s contentious decision to build a military facility on the former Sheikh Jarrah compound of the\u00a0United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).<\/p>\n

Several speakers, including the representative of France, demanded that Gaza\u2019s recovery process begin without delay, emphasizing that it cannot be conditional upon Hamas\u2019 disarmament and pressing the Board of Peace for a timeline on recovery and reconstruction efforts.\u00a0Noting that his country contributed to the UN\u2019s multiparty Horizon Fund for Palestine, he also welcomed the European Union\u2019s adoption of sanctions targeting major Israeli organizations involved in recent violent settlement activities in the West Bank.<\/p>\n

Colombia\u2019s speaker, drawing upon international legal statutes and echoed by the representative of Bahrain, said the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the right of Palestinians to self-determination can never be considered conditional.\u00a0 Nor can Israel\u2019s expansion of territorial control\u00a0\u2014 with the Palestinian people increasingly being pushed into smaller and more fragmented areas\u00a0\u2014 be tolerated.<\/p>\n

The representative of\u00a0the Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed, adding that international legal provisions governing the protection of civilians remain \u201coverriding obligations\u201d even during times of conflict.<\/p>\n

Moscow Calls Gaza Road Map \u2018Dead Letter\u2019, as State of Palestine Condemns Collective Punishment, Israel Cautions against \u2018Dangerous Illusion\u2019 of Diplomacy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cSix months after the vote on resolution 2803 (2025), the Trump plan largely remains dead letter,\u201d said the representative of the Russian Federation, recalling that his country abstained in that vote due to serious concerns over the text\u2019s content.\u00a0Moscow decided not to veto it, given calls from many regional countries \u201cto give the United States\u2019 blueprint a chance\u201d.<\/p>\n

Regrettably, he said, those concerns have now been borne out.\u00a0 Promises to turn Gaza into the \u201cRiveria of the Middle East\u201d turned out to be hollow, with more than 800 people killed and 2,600 injured in Gaza since the ceasefire. \u00a0\u201cThose who read the Board of Peace report may come under the impression that Hamas alone is to blame for all the misfortunes facing Gaza,\u201d he said.\u00a0 In fact, Israel continues to withhold aid and dangle promises of skyscrapers and jobs, even as it occupies Gaza and embraces provocative policies.<\/p>\n

Also addressing the Council, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine confirmed the many reports citing serious aid restrictions, increasing Israeli annexation of Palestinian land and homes, and attacks on both civilians and aid workers. \u00a0Noting that the term \u201cterrorist\u201d has often been used by Israeli officials to characterize the entire Palestinian population, he drew attention to the recent mistreatment of pro-Palestinian foreign nationals aboard an aid flotilla \u2014 something also raised by many of today\u2019s speakers \u2014 describing it as a \u201cglimpse of the treatment reserved for Palestinian prisoners\u201d.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s delegate rebuked the many allegations levelled against his Government, warning of a \u201cdangerous illusion taking hold in this Chamber\u201d.\u00a0 Diplomacy can never succeed while terrorists are allowed to hold peace hostage, he stressed.\u00a0 While Israel believes in diplomacy, it will only work when Hamas stops using it as a mechanism to delay its disarmament. \u00a0\u201cGaza cannot be rebuilt only with cement and electricity\u201d, but also requires dramatically reformed education and cultural systems that finally promote peace, he added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n