UN envoy warns Gaza ceasefire remains fragile as West Bank violence persists

Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN’s acting Middle East peace envoy, warned the Security Council on 15 October that Gaza’s ceasefire remained fragile and that violence in the occupied West Bank was threatening prospects for peace. He was speaking at the Council’s quarterly debate on the Palestinian question, rather than announcing a new Council decision. [1] [3]

After visiting Gaza on 11 and 12 October, Alakbarov described families living near the Yellow Line who feared further shooting, and displaced people sheltering in worn-out tents, crowded sites and damaged buildings. For some families along the line, he said, “the ceasefire exists in name only”. [1]

Alakbarov said Israeli military operations had caused about 1,500 Palestinian deaths since the truce began, citing Gaza’s health ministry for the toll. An earlier report by the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, gave a ministry-sourced figure of 1,431 reported deaths between the announcement of the ceasefire agreement on 10 October 2025 and 30 September 2026. OCHA also recorded bodies recovered from rubble, deaths from earlier wounds and retrospective additions after identification; the totals do not show when every person died. [1] [2]

The pressure on shelter extends beyond the immediate danger of fighting. In a report published earlier in October, OCHA said 217 of more than 400 displacement sites assessed in Gaza faced a medium or high risk of flooding. About 235,000 people lived at those sites. Aid work was continuing, but OCHA said funding shortfalls and restrictions on bringing in essential supplies and equipment were hampering the response. [2]

In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, OCHA recorded 53 settler attacks involving Palestinian injuries, property damage or both during the week of 22–28 September. That figure documents recent violence but does not, on its own, establish whether attacks are at an unprecedented level. Alakbarov also cited Palestinian attacks in his broader account of insecurity. [2] [3]

Delegates remained divided over the peace plan the Council endorsed in 2025. Israel’s representative said Hamas was not implementing it and must disarm; the US delegate called for disarmament that could be verified. Palestinian representative Majed Bamya accused Israel of obstructing the Board of Peace envisaged under the plan. [1]