UN: Humanitarian Situation in Gaza Remains Extremely Severe
Despite a ceasefire formally in place since October 2025, the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip remains unresolved. UN officials reported that nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed during the ceasefire, 2.1 million people lack permanent housing, and aid delivery is insufficient.
Fragile Ceasefire Results
The UN Security Council discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip, where a ceasefire has been formally in effect since October 2025. However, as UN Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher noted, nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed during this period, and 2.1 million people still lack permanent housing.
Fletcher acknowledged that Resolution 2803, adopted after months of intensive mediation, has yielded some results: a decrease in civilian casualties from Israeli strikes, the release of remaining hostages, and some improvements in aid delivery. Six months after the ceasefire took effect, the Gaza Strip is no longer classified as an area experiencing mass famine, but the situation remains extremely severe.
Basic Needs Unmet
Fletcher emphasized that Resolution 2803 and the plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump were intended to bring about much more significant changes. The results achieved are only the minimum needed to prevent the most catastrophic scenario. About 70% of the population need housing, and the service system is on the verge of collapse. The humanitarian response plan has received less than a quarter of the necessary funding.
Oxfam Representative Points to Failures
Bushra Khalidi, head of humanitarian policy at Oxfam International, who is also a Palestinian mother from the West Bank, stated that the ceasefire is not working and Gaza is being torn apart again. Her husband's family is trapped in Gaza, and her son has experienced forced displacement. She noted that civilians continue to suffer from hunger and displacement, and humanitarian infrastructure is being deliberately destroyed. Organizations, including the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), are being prevented from doing their work.
Khalidi reminded that Resolution 2803 was adopted to maintain the ceasefire and address the catastrophic situation in Gaza, but after seven months, even these basic goals remain unmet.
