The situation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank remains “volatile” despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreed to in October, according to Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN’s deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and resident and humanitarian coordinator.
Addressing the UN Security Council, Alakbarov said the ceasefire must be respected and fully implemented to address the needs and aspirations of Gaza’s population.
He said that more than 1,000 people in Gaza had been killed since the agreement took effect, while violence in the occupied West Bank has intensified amid Israeli military raids and settler attacks.
“I am appalled at the numerous instances in which officials glorified violence and engaged in dangerous provocations, incitement and inflammatory language,” Alakbarov said, expressing concern over escalating tensions in the West Bank.
Since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in Gaza and over 1,100 in the West Bank since the start of its genocidal war against Palestinians.
