Guterres calls for protection of Palestinians in the West Bank: Gaza situation is "appalling"
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has accused the occupying power of killing more than 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire was declared in October 2025.
The UN official described the living conditions inside the Gaza Strip as "absolutely appalling" in light of the spread of unexploded remnants of war, the spread of diseases, and the widespread displacement movements, denouncing the unprecedented expansion and acceleration of settlement operations carried out by the occupation in the West Bank, which has caused the "largest crisis" of displacement of Palestinians in the region since 1967.
In a quarterly report on the situation in the West Bank, Guterres said that the occupation's seizure of the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in occupied Jerusalem is an "illegal and unacceptable violation."
West Bank Palestinians face a fateful threat
At the same time, Guterres warned that Palestinians in the West Bank are facing continuous settler violence and continuous settlement expansion, pointing out that the UN report monitored an escalation in attacks by settler groups against Palestinian towns and villages under the protection of the occupation forces.
"These developments are fueling tensions, further entrenching the illegal occupation, and undermining the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of their independent and sovereign state," Guterres said in his report.
The UN Secretary-General specifically warned of the seriousness of the E1 settlement project, describing it as "an existential threat to the Palestinians" as it aims to divide the West Bank into two isolated parts.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Palestine, Ramez Akbarov, stressed the need to address the concerns and legitimate needs and aspirations of the people of Gaza through the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2803, warning that the situation in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, continues to deteriorate.
European Statement: Adherence to the two-state solution
In a joint statement ahead of a meeting of the Council, five European member states of the UN Security Council, France, Britain, Greece, Latvia and Denmark, expressed their grave concern over the deterioration of the situation in the West Bank and "strongly" condemned the continuation of settlement activity.
The joint European statement stressed that international concern about the West Bank is escalating at a remarkable pace, with a clear warning that Israeli settlement expansion threatens the chances of peace and undermines regional stability.
The statement stressed that the settlements are illegal under international law, and that the confiscation of land and the construction of new units pushes the situation towards more tension, in light of the escalation of violence, military incursions and settler attacks against Palestinian civilians.
The European countries reaffirmed their adherence to the two-state solution, considering that unilateral measures in the West Bank weaken any possibility of formulating a future political path and impede the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state.
This position coincides with international pressure within the Security Council to treat the West Bank file as seriously as the Gaza file, amid fears that the Palestinian Authority's financial and security situation will deteriorate as a result of the deductions from clearance funds and the restrictions imposed on the movement of workers and trade.