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This newsletter informs about recent and upcoming activities of Civil Society Organizations working on the question of Palestine. The Committee and the Division for Palestinian Rights of the UN Secretariat provide the information “as is” without warranty of any kind, and do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, or reliability of the information contained in the websites linked in the newsletter.

Middle East

• On 17 June,??reported that Israel has passed new legislation banning the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from visiting Palestinian detainees, a move the organization says deepens the isolation of prisoners and removes one of the only independent mechanisms for monitoring their treatment. The NGO warned that the ban formalizes an already severe pattern of denying access to humanitarian oversight, enabling unchecked abuse, torture, and degrading conditions. Al Mezan stated that the measure violates international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, and calls for urgent international intervention to restore monitoring and protect detainees’ rights.
• On 17 June,? issued an urgent appeal to WHO Director?General Ghebreyesus, warning of a rapidly worsening outbreak of scabies inside Israeli prisons. The NGO reports escalating infections, worsening health conditions, and testimonies of intense itching, inflammation, pain, sleep deprivation, and psychological distress, describing these conditions as part of a broader structure of torture and “ongoing genocidal policies.” It called on the WHO to publicly acknowledge the outbreak, demand access for independent medical teams, ensure immediate treatment and hygiene supplies, reduce overcrowding, and provide special protection for children, stressing that Israel bears full responsibility for prisoners’ health and that urgent international intervention is required.
• On 17 June,??reported that Israeli authorities have issued a construction permit for the Valero House in Hebron, a move the organization says deepens settlement entrenchment in one of the most sensitive and heavily militarized areas of the occupied West Bank. The permit authorizes new residential units for settlers inside a Palestinian neighborhood, further restricting Palestinian movement and access. Peace Now notes that the approval reflects a broader policy of expanding settlement presence in Hebron through legal, administrative, and military mechanisms. The organization warned that such actions undermine prospects for a political resolution and intensify daily hardships for Palestinian residents.
• On 16 June,??published the report?“Greater Jerusalem”: Annexation and Expulsion in Area C Around Jerusalem. The report describes how Israeli authorities advance a coordinated set of planning, settlement, and infrastructure policies designed to consolidate control over the Jerusalem metropolitan area while fragmenting Palestinian space. It explains that large settlement projects, transportation corridors, and zoning schemes increasingly integrate settlements into a single Israeli urban system, tightening demographic and territorial dominance. At the same time, Palestinians face severe planning restrictions, home demolitions, and the isolation of neighborhoods cut off by the separation barrier. The report argues that these measures entrench de facto annexation, undermine the possibility of a negotiated political resolution, and steadily erode the viability of Palestinian life in and around Jerusalem. It concludes that the cumulative impact of these policies reshapes the region’s geography in ways that predetermine future political outcomes and deepen structural inequality.
• On 15 June,? welcomed the Netherlands’ new Temporary Sanctions Decree banning the import of goods originating from illegal Israeli settlements, calling it an important first step toward ending third?state complicity in Israel’s “settler?colonial apartheid regime.” The organization sent a letter to Dutch Foreign Minister Berendsen urging the government to expand the ban to include all services and investments linked to settlements, warning that limiting the measure to goods risks making it “symbolic rather than effective.” Citing the 2024 ICJ Advisory Opinion, Al?Haq stresses that third states have binding obligations “to take steps to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation.”
• On 14 June, the??warned that more than two million Palestinians in Gaza are living in severe environmental and health catastrophe due to the massive accumulation of solid waste, widespread wastewater leakage, and the rapid spread of rodents and insects around shelters, tents, and residential areas. These conditions stem from prolonged Israeli restrictions that prevent access to main landfills, block essential materials, destroy infrastructure, and halt medical?waste treatment. Municipalities face fuel shortages, damaged networks, and inoperable equipment, leaving waste unmanaged and exposing displaced families to disease, contamination, and hazardous living conditions that deepen the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
• On 10 June,??reported that Israel’s High Court has upheld the government’s decision to deregister several international humanitarian organizations operating in the occupied Palestinian territory, effectively banning them from providing assistance or monitoring human rights conditions. Gisha explained that the ruling grants sweeping authority to the Israeli Defense Ministry to revoke registrations without meaningful oversight, transparency, or due process. The organization warned that the decision severely restricts humanitarian space, undermines the ability of international groups to document violations, and further isolates Palestinians from essential services. Gisha argues that the ruling entrenches authoritarian control and violates international law, calling for international pressure to reverse these measures.

Africa, Asia and Europe

• On?18 June, the? reported that Israel’s restrictions on shelter materials in Gaza have forced nearly one million displaced Palestinians to endure extreme summer heat in makeshift tents that offered little protection. NRC explained that Israel blocked the entry of basic construction supplies, preventing families from repairing damaged homes or building safer temporary structures. As temperatures rose above 40°C, overcrowded tents became dangerously hot, increasing dehydration, illness, and risks for children, older people, and those with chronic conditions. The organization stated that these policies deepened the humanitarian crisis and urged Israel to lift restrictions and allow adequate shelter assistance.
• On 10 June,??reported that Israel has accelerated the forced displacement of Palestinians across the West Bank through home demolitions, settlement expansion, land seizures, and escalating settler violence carried out with state backing. The organization stated that these actions amounted to ethnic cleansing and formed part of a broader strategy to entrench permanent control over occupied territory in violation of international law. Amnesty urged governments to impose an arms embargo, halt all support that enabled settlement growth, and take concrete measures to prevent annexation. It warned that global inaction had contributed to worsening abuses and further displacement of Palestinian communities.

North America

• On 2 July,??will hold a community lecture by researcher Joy Arkeh on climate governance in Palestine. The event, based on a Carnegie Endowment case study, will examine how rising temperatures, declining rainfall, shrinking water access, food insecurity, and energy dependence have shaped Palestinian climate planning. Ms. Arkeh will discuss how occupation policies – including restrictions on land, water, energy systems, imports, mobility, and reconstruction – have limited the implementation of climate strategies such as the Nationally Determined Contribution and National Adaptation Plan.
• On 17 June,??reported that Israeli authorities have escalated home demolitions and forced evictions of Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem, particularly in the Silwan and al?Bustan neighborhoods, where families faced imminent displacement under the pretext of lacking building permits that Israel systematically denied. The organization stated that these actions formed part of discriminatory policies designed to alter the city’s demographic composition in favor of Israeli settlers. HRW noted that demolitions destroyed livelihoods, traumatized families, and violated international humanitarian and human rights law. It urged governments to pressure Israel to halt unlawful demolitions and protect Palestinian residents from further displacement.
• On 10 June, the??issued an article, which argued that prospects for Israeli?Palestinian peace had grown increasingly remote amid simultaneous wars in Iran and Lebanon, the devastation in Gaza, and Israel’s continued “creeping annexation” of the West Bank. It described how war had become self?perpetuating in Israeli political culture and how the two?state framework had largely disappeared from diplomatic discourse. The piece reviewed expanding settlements, rising authoritarian policies, and deepening Palestinian political division, all of which undermined any viable negotiations. It outlined several bleak future scenarios, concluding that regional instability and entrenched occupation made meaningful progress toward peace highly unlikely.

United?Nations?

• On 15 June, the??published its 2026 May Monthly Bulletin.
• On 9 June, the? reported that Palestinian civilians were being systematically harmed by all parties to the conflict, trapped between mass atrocities committed by Israeli forces and settlers and the fear?based rule of Hamas. The Commission found that Israeli authorities enabled and protected escalating settler violence, which served broader state objectives of maintaining the occupation, expanding illegal settlements, annexing territory, and displacing Palestinians. It documented killings, injuries, abductions, and attacks on children, along with widespread destruction and forced displacement. The report also stated that Hamas?affiliated groups committed serious violations, including attacks on civilians and hostage?taking. Investigators emphasized that civilians faced deliberate suffering and required urgent protection and accountability measures.