UN Warns Gaza Ceasefire at Risk Amid Aid Crisis

A senior UN official has warned the Security Council that the fragile ceasefire in Gaza is in danger of collapsing due to severe humanitarian shortfalls, ongoing Israeli military operations, and growing restrictions on aid delivery.

Ramiz Alakhbarov, the UN's deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, reported on Wednesday that conditions are also deteriorating in the occupied West Bank, where violence and settlement expansions are accelerating. While acknowledging some improvements in aid volume reaching Gaza, Alakhbarov stressed that far more is needed to address the crisis.

Gaza's Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

Despite a halt in major hostilities, aid agencies are struggling to operate at scale in Gaza, where nearly the entire population depends on humanitarian assistance. An estimated 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are living in inadequate shelters, their suffering intensified by heavy rain and cold winter weather.

Alakhbarov detailed how families are struggling to keep tents from collapsing in the wind and rain. The delivery of essential construction materials and technical expertise is restricted, preventing emergency sites from meeting even minimal international standards.

Humanitarian operations face multiple obstacles, including:

• Insecurity on the ground

• Customs delays

• A limited number of entry routes into Gaza

• Israeli restrictions on which organizations can bring in supplies

Aid entering from Jordan, for example, represents just 9% of the total assistance processed since October 10. Alakhbarov described the current aid volumes as "only a fraction" of what was previously achieved. Critical items like mobile homes, fuel, rescue equipment, and medical supplies face severe entry restrictions, endangering displaced people and patients.

Ceasefire Under Strain as Hostilities Continue

The ceasefire agreement reached in October has not fully stopped military activity. Alakhbarov confirmed that Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and gunfire continue across Gaza, alongside armed exchanges between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants. Daily attacks persist near the "yellow line" that separates Israeli-controlled areas from those restricted to the Palestinian population.

"Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, including many women and children," Alakhbarov told the council.

He also raised an alarm over Israel's decision to suspend or review the registration of dozens of international non-governmental organizations. Banning these groups, he warned, would significantly undermine humanitarian efforts across the territory, urging Israel to reverse the decision immediately.

West Bank Tensions Escalate with Raids and Violence

In the occupied West Bank, Alakhbarov said that negative trends are becoming "entrenched daily." He cited intensified Israeli military operations, settler violence, large-scale arrests, and demolitions as key drivers of instability.

In late December and early January, Israeli forces conducted expanded raids in cities including Jenin, Nablus, Hebron, and Ramallah, often involving live fire and raising serious concerns about the use of lethal force. These operations have resulted in the deaths of Palestinians, including minors. Reports also indicate large-scale arrests, including of children, with allegations of prisoner ill-treatment and deaths in custody.

Palestinian attacks against Israelis have also continued, including deadly ramming and stabbing incidents in northern Israel in late December.

At the same time, intensifying settler violence has forced entire Palestinian communities to flee. In December, repeated attacks led to the displacement of people from Khirbet Yanun in the Nablus governorate. This month, about 80 households were forcibly removed from Ras Ein Al-Auja in the Jordan Valley.

Settlement Expansion and UNRWA Pressure Mount

Alakhbarov described settlement expansions as "rapid and relentless." Israeli authorities have issued tenders for over 4,700 housing units in Area C, which covers more than 60% of the West Bank. This includes thousands of units in the sensitive E1 zone east of Jerusalem, a move the UN warns could sever the geographic connection between the northern and southern West Bank.

Demolitions, land seizures, and evictions in East Jerusalem have further exacerbated territorial fragmentation.

The UN official also condemned what he called an "escalating Israeli campaign" against UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Actions have included legislation to seize its compounds, raids on its health facilities, and the demolition of its headquarters in East Jerusalem.

"These acts are flagrant violations of international law," Alakhbarov stated, urging Israeli authorities to comply with an International Court of Justice opinion requiring them to facilitate, not obstruct, UNRWA's work.

Fiscal Pressure and Broader Political Risks

Adding to the instability, Israel continues to withhold nearly $2.5 billion in Palestinian clearance revenues—taxes it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. Alakhbarov explained that this refusal is pushing the authority deeper into a fiscal crisis, forcing cuts to public services and salary payments.

He concluded with a stark warning: unless these Israeli policies are urgently addressed, their cumulative effects could jeopardize not only the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire but also any remaining prospects for a two-state solution.