麻豆APP

21 April 2026

Background:

UNMAS has been delivering mine action activities throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including Gaza and the West Bank, since 2012. However, after the escalation of hostilities on 7 October 2023, operations evolved significantly to respond to the proliferating EO threats to local populations and humanitarian partners. UNMAS rapidly scaled up its capacity across the OPT to mitigate immediate risks to communities and ensure that humanitarian delivery could continue to vulnerable communities throughout the escalation.

The programme operates through the below pillars, leading coordination efforts, delivering explosive hazard response, raising awareness of EO threats to communities and humanitarian personnel, and supporting capacity enhancement efforts in the West Bank.

Context:

The year 2025 began with a glimmer of hope for Gaza when a fragile ceasefire took hold on 19 January, but in the eight months following its collapse in March Gaza saw some of the most intense conflict in its history and a further deepening of the humanitarian crisis. Nearly the entire population of 2.1 million people was displaced, many multiple times, with more than one million people estimated to have required emergency shelter assistance. Throughout the year, 25,718 people were killed and 62,8543 injured, and in August, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a famine for the first time in Gaza. Meanwhile EO contamination proliferated, posing a severe threat to communities and impacting the humanitarian response.

Tensions rose significantly in the West Bank, with Israeli Forces operations, settler attacks and fighting between Palestinian groups all increasing. Meanwhile, demolitions of buildings, the creation of checkpoints, and other access limitations further shrunk the spaces in which Palestinians could live in peace. More than 37,000 people were displaced across the West Bank throughout the year. The increase in violence, particularly in the northern West Bank, increased EO contamination, with explosive hazards reported in densely populated areas and elsewhere.

In response to the drastic deterioration in the political, security and humanitarian situation in the OPT, in September the international community significantly increased the pressure on stakeholders to prevent further deterioration. During the high-level General Debate of the 80th Session of the 麻豆APP (UN) General Assembly in the same month, 10 additional UN Member States recognized Palestinian statehood, including permanent members of the Security Council – France and the United Kingdom – signaling support to the safety and security of the Palestinian community in Gaza and the West Bank. On 10 October a ceasefire began, greatly lowering hostilities and enabling the humanitarian community to scale up critical humanitarian response. Through resolution 2803 (2025), in November the UN Security Council endorsed the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, which included an immediate ceasefire, unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages held in Gaza, and the disarmament of Hamas, as well as longer-term steps to prevent another ceasefire collapse.

While enormous challenges remain, after more than two years of immense suffering, the ceasefire brought hope for Gaza, for the end of the conflict in the OPT and peace in the region.

Concluding message:

In 2025 the need for humanitarian mine action responses in the OPT continued to surge, necessitating a rapid, coordinated and comprehensive response. UNMAS worked closely with mine action and other humanitarian and early recovery partners to deliver this response, implementing measures to protect lives and limbs and enable humanitarian delivery to communities most in need.

This was only possible as a result of consistent, flexible and generous support from UNMAS’ donors whose commitment to the mine action response in the OPT had a lifesaving impact for communities. We are grateful to our donors and partners, as well as the local communities where we operate, who put trust in UNMAS to deliver lifesaving and enabling interventions to mitigate the explosive risk throughout Gaza and the West Bank.

Looking to 2026, UNMAS will continue to safeguard people, humanitarian response and recovery efforts. UNMAS will also continue supporting the expansion of the sector through coordination efforts, operational support and training and quality assurance measures. Advocacy will continue for partners to be able to conduct more comprehensive EO responses in support of communities throughout the OPT. We look forward to continued collaboration with donors and partners in 2026 to meet the significant needs in the OPT.