{"id":317702,"date":"2026-04-28T14:55:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T18:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=317702"},"modified":"2026-05-05T15:26:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T19:26:46","slug":"amid-a-tenuous-ceasefire-and-soaring-humanitarian-needs-the-security-council-hears-updates-on-transitional-governance-structures-and-reconstruction-efforts-in-gaza","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/amid-a-tenuous-ceasefire-and-soaring-humanitarian-needs-the-security-council-hears-updates-on-transitional-governance-structures-and-reconstruction-efforts-in-gaza\/","title":{"rendered":"Amid a tenuous ceasefire and soaring humanitarian needs, the Security Council hears updates on transitional governance structures and reconstruction efforts in Gaza"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

28 April 2026<\/p>\n

10146th Meeting (AM & PM)<\/strong><\/p>\n

SC\/16350<\/p>\n

Amid a tenuous ceasefire in Gaza, punctuated by airstrikes and shelling, as well as soaring humanitarian needs, the Security Council today heard updates on what a transitional governance structure and reconstruction efforts would resemble in the devastated Strip during the organ\u2019s quarterly open debate on the Palestinian question.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Gaza, the ceasefire is increasingly fragile as Israeli strikes and armed activities by Hamas and other groups continue,\u201d declared Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, voicing concern over the \u201csteadily worsening\u201d situation in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.\u00a0While Gazans face ongoing and deadly Israeli strikes and dire humanitarian conditions, in the West Bank, rampant settler violence, displacement and accelerating settlement activity threaten communities and erode the prospects for a political process based on a viable two-State solution.<\/p>\n

Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and implement Phase II of the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict endorsed by the Security Council in\u00a0resolution 2803 (2025)<\/a>, talks to disarm armed groups have not produced an agreement, risking the potential return to hostilities, he\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

Civilians are bearing the brunt; approximately 800 Palestinians, including over 200 children and seven humanitarian workers, have been killed due to Israeli actions since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza\u2019s Ministry of Health, he said.\u00a0\u00a0Nearly Gaza\u2019s entire population \u2014 1.8\u00a0million people \u2014 is displaced and dependent on aid. \u00a0Unpredictable access and restrictions on critical humanitarian items termed \u201cdual-use\u201d by Israel continue to constrain the UN response.<\/p>\n

Final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment: \u00a0$71.4 Billion over Next Decade<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Underscoring the urgent need to advance plans for aid as well as early recovery and reconstruction, he spotlighted the UN and the European Union\u2019s final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment, released this month, which estimated needs at $71.4\u00a0billion over the next decade.<\/p>\n

In the West Bank, he drew attention to the increasingly frequent and severe settler attacks, against the backdrop of the Israeli Cabinet\u2019s approval in March of 34 settlements across Area\u00a0C, \u201cthe most extensive such approval to date in a single Cabinet decision\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speakers Welcomed Comprehensive 20-Point Plan as Viable Road Map to Peace \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cA pivotal juncture has been reached\u201d in the\u00a0implementation of United States President Donald J. Trump\u2019s Comprehensive 20 Point Plan, declared\u00a0Tony Blair, member of the Executive Board of the Board of Peace, which the\u00a0Council endorsed<\/a>\u00a0as \u201ca transitional administration with international legal personality\u201d through resolution 2803 (2025).<\/p>\n

The Plan was able to end the war in Gaza because it was based on a strategically coherent framework, he stressed, urging Council members to support its implementation and to mobilize funds for the humanitarian response and recovery in full coordination with the\u00a0National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, \u201can apolitical transitional governing body of respected Palestinians\u201d, under the Board\u2019s oversight, set up in January.<\/p>\n

Outlining the Plan\u2019s three elements, he said, Hamas, as presently constituted, can have no role in the government of Gaza \u2014 \u201cnot directly running the government of Gaza. \u00a0Not indirectly by retaining their weapons and therefore their power.\u201d \u00a0\u201cEqually important but often overlooked is that if disarmament occurs, the network of restrictions on people and goods entering and leaving Gaza should and will be lifted,\u201d he went on, adding: \u00a0\u201cThis is a huge prize for the people of Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the Board\u2019s reconstruction plans, Gaza would not be rebuilt, but reimagined: \u00a0\u201cA port. Free movement of people and goods. \u00a0Proper infrastructure. \u00a0New housing. \u00a0Fully able to access the digital economy.\u201d \u00a0The Plan\u2019s third element,\u00a0\u201csince trust is low and scepticism high\u201d, he went on, is to put in place \u201ca transitional period where international support is necessary to help Gaza on its feet and disarmament happen in a manner Israel will accept\u201d.<\/p>\n

Calls on Hamas to Disarm<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cI call on Hamas to decommission its weapons without delay,\u201d said Espen Barth Eide, Norway\u2019s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Representative of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, the International Donor Group for Palestine, outlining progress made in a meeting held last week in Brussels to discuss how to implement the 20-point plan and improve the situation on the ground in Palestine. \u00a0\u201cOne objective of our meeting was to establish a clear link between the new, temporary structures established under resolution 2803\u00a0(2025), and the pre-existing, established structures,\u201d he said, adding that this should consolidate alignment around unified coordination mechanisms, which will speed up implementation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be clear that every day matters,\u201d declared the United States representative. \u00a0\u201cEvery day, we either move closer to a future where Palestinians live in freedom, prosperity and at peace with Israel, or we drift back to chaos, rockets, hostages and rubble.\u201d \u00a0His country, with its partners in the Board of Peace, is working daily towards that \u201cbrighter vision\u201d, he said, citing a recent mass wedding held by the United Arab Emirates in Deir al-Balah in Gaza. \u00a0There is just \u201cone obstruction\u201d to that vision: \u00a0Hamas, he said, calling on the group to accept that it will not have any role in Gaza and to demilitarize. \u00a0\u201cGaza will not be safe or free if weapons are shifted from Hamas to one of its lookalike groups,\u201d he said, stressing that \u201can internationally funded buyback is on the table\u201d.<\/p>\n

State of Palestine: \u00a0Israel Must End Annexation, Restrictions on Aid \u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cIn devastated Gaza, while many lives were saved by the ceasefire, the suffering continues,\u201d said Varsen Aghabekian, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine, demanding an \u201cimmediate response\u201d to \u201cthe human and humanitarian consequences of this man-made reality\u201d, including the spread of rodents and diseases and delays in restoration of basic services and recovery. \u00a0\u201cThere is no justification for the delays by Israel in allowing shelter in or the restrictions on aid and humanitarian access,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we embark on phase two of the ceasefire, we reiterate our vision of One State, One Government, One Law and One Gun, and the need for full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,\u201d she went on, underscoring the need to not \u201cderail these efforts by pursuing policies that President Trump\u2019s plan rejected: \u00a0forcible displacement and annexation\u201d – objectives Israel still pursues in Gaza and the West Bank. \u00a0Affirming Palestinian\u2019s \u201ccommitment to liberation by peaceful means\u201d, despite its devastating reality, she said: \u00a0\u201cDiversity is this land\u2019s destiny. \u00a0It is a blessing, not a curse. \u00a0There is no space here for exclusivity, monopoly or supremacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel: \u00a0Extremist Settler Violence Miniscule Compared to Palestinian Terrorist Attacks<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cIsrael is implementing our side of the deal; all major crossings are open\u201d, countered Israel\u2019s delegate, stressing that for over two years it has been fighting a war \u201cforced upon us\u201d. \u00a0While his country has facilitated the entry of 1.5\u00a0million tons of food into Gaza, Hamas is blackmailing civilians and pressuring civilians \u201cto sell themselves for food vouchers\u201d, he said. \u201cHamas uses rape as a tactic,\u201d and it is rejecting Gaza\u2019s disarmament plan, he said, asking: \u00a0\u201cWhere is the outrage?\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning to settler violence, he said that\u00a0\u201ca tiny number of extremists, dozens not even hundreds\u201d are condemned, investigated, convicted. \u00a0\u201cExtremist violence by Israelis exists but it is significantly smaller in scale compared to the scale of attacks carried out by Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria,\u201d he stated. \u00a0On the situation in Lebanon, he said Hizbullah is not just set on Israel\u2019s destruction, it has weakened Lebanon\u2019s Government.\u00a0 \u201cIsrael has entered direct negotiations with Lebanon\u2026 but while we negotiate Hizbullah continues to fire on Israel\u2019s civilians,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Calls for Restraint, Dialogue, Implementing Council Resolution 2803 (2025)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Bahrain\u2019s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Council President for April, underscored the need to implement resolution 2803 (2025) as a binding framework to end the conflict in Gaza, consolidate the ceasefire and establish the Board of Peace. \u00a0Noting the Bahraini King\u2019s participation in the Board\u2019s inaugural meeting in Washington, D.C.,\u00a0he urged the international community to shift from crisis management to finding solutions.<\/p>\n

At this critical juncture, restraint, dialogue and diplomacy must prevail, chimed in Pakistan\u2019s representative, highlighting his country\u2019s active engagement in advancing diplomatic pathways and advocating for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing crisis in the region.\u00a0 \u201cThe recent talks hosted in Islamabad between the United States and Iran stand as a testament to this commitment,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Khalifa bin Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State of the United Arab Emirates, highlighted his country\u2019s provision of nearly $3\u00a0billion in humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people in Gaza, adding that it has pledged an additional $1.2\u00a0billion through the Board of Peace. \u00a0\u201cHowever, aid alone is not sufficient,\u201d he stressed, calling for the opening of the Rafah Crossing in both directions.<\/p>\n

France\u2019s delegate, echoing the call of many speakers for full implementation of\u00a0resolution 2803 (2025), underscored the need for the Council to be regularly informed of its progress, including through the first written report in mid-May.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe present pause in largescale violence must not be mistaken for peace,\u201d\u00a0Liberia\u2019s delegate added. \u00a0\u201cCement without political courage merely rebuilds future ruins,\u201d he stressed, calling for a timebound international framework linking recovery, governance, accountability and a credible pathway toward the two-State solution.<\/p>\n

Alarm over \u2018Deteriorating Trajectory\u2019 in West Bank and East Jerusalem, Stalled Action towards Creation of Independent Palestinian State\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The United Kingdom\u2019s delegate, meanwhile, was among speakers\u00a0voicing alarm over\u00a0the \u201cdeteriorating trajectory\u201d in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, drawing attention to \u201cextremely troubling reports\u201d of sexual and gender-based violence and illegal evictions. \u00a0Deploring the recent killing of a 14-year-old boy in a school by settlers, he called for concrete steps to prevent attacks against Palestinians, pointing out that accountability for previous such incidents was \u201cseverely lacking\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe State of Israel was established long ago, while the State of Palestine remains out of reach,\u201d China\u2019s delegate said, urging the international community to rectify this historic injustice.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Russian Federation\u2019s representative pointed out that the Comprehensive Plan and implementation of Council resolution 2803 (2025) \u2014 adopted at Washington, D.C.\u2019s initiative \u2014 have stalled. \u00a0The International Stabilization Force for Gaza has yet to be deployed. \u00a0Instead of working towards creation of an independent Palestinian State, the international community is witnessing attempts to \u201cbuy the goodwill of the Palestinians through grand commercial projects of the \u2018New Gaza\u2019 variety\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n

Countries in Region Strike Less-than-Encouraging Note\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Other speakers representing the region also struck a less-than-encouraging note.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael has adopted a policy which can only be described as one of permanent war,\u201d stressed Ahmed Aboulgheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, noting that\u00a0Iran\u2019s \u201cunjustified, hostile and unlawful\u201d attacks on Arab countries should not deter attention away from Israel\u2019s illegal occupation of Palestinian and other Arab lands. \u00a0Condemning what he described as Israel\u2019s treatment of the United States-facilitated ceasefire as a one-sided commitment binding only Palestinians, he called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.<\/p>\n

Egypt\u2019s delegate, speaking for the\u00a0Arab Group, condemned illegal Israeli measures in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including settlement expansion, settler violence, forced displacement, attacks on humanitarian actors and incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque\/Al-Haram al-Sharif. \u00a0T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s representative, speaking for the Organization of the Islamic Conference, noted that Palestinians continue to endure \u201cuntold hardships\u201d under Israel\u2019s illegal occupation, with Gaza\u2019s death toll surpassing 73,500 people.<\/p>\n

Umar Hadi, Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, warned that the Occupied Palestinian Territory is moving not towards peace, but \u201cdeeper fragmentation, dispossession and despair\u201d, as Israel entrenches its illegal occupation. \u00a0Citing UN experts\u2019 warnings of \u201cethnic cleansing and annexation\u201d and the \u201cde-Palestinization\u201d of Jerusalem, he condemned restrictions on worship at holy sites. \u00a0\u201cWe must also speak plainly about dangerous legislative measures,\u201d he said, pointing to the so-called \u201cdeath penalty for terrorists\u201d law passed by the Knesset on 30 March, calling for this \u201ccruel, inhumane law\u201d to be repealed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Israeli occupation forces are using every means to provoke the Syrian people,\u201d warned Syria\u2019s delegate, condemning the Israeli occupation in southern Syria, including the Summit of Mount Hermon. \u00a0Israeli forces are crossing the Line of Disengagement and approaching villages, threatening crops and livelihoods and diverting water sources to supply settlements. \u00a0Meanwhile, Israeli occupiers are also terrorizing peaceful civilians through deadly night raids, he said, stressing: \u00a0\u201cThey are kidnapping Syrians from their beds while sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s representative assailed Israel and the United States violations\u00a0of international humanitarian law in his country, citing attacks on healthcare, cultural facilities and educational institutions, including the targeting of a girls\u2019 school, which killed more than 168 students. \u00a0\u201cThe United States and the Israeli regime must bear full responsibility and must be held accountable,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n

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