© VPP/M. Le Lijour The UN continues to support soup kitchens in Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip. UN Security Council meeting on Gaza: humanitarian situation remains extremely dire Peace and Security
A ceasefire in Gaza has formally remained in place since October 2025, but during that time hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and 2.1 million people remain homeless. The UN Security Council met on Thursday to discuss the situation in the enclave. The meeting was convened at the initiative of ten non-permanent members and with the support of four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Great Britain, China, Russia and France.
Speaking at the meeting, Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, recalled that Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025), adopted after months of intensive mediation efforts, had produced some results. This included a reduction in the number of civilian casualties resulting from Israeli strikes on Gaza, the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attacks, and the removal of some obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid. Fletcher noted that six months after the ceasefire took effect, the Gaza Strip is no longer classified as a state of mass famine. Nevertheless, the situation is still assessed as extremely difficult.
Minimum progress
As the deputy UN chief stressed, Resolution 2803 and the plan proposed by US President Donald Trump were supposed to achieve much more significant changes.
“These fragile gains are only the minimum of what the Palestinians need, what we can provide and what international law requires,” Fletcher said. from the most catastrophic scenario, while even the basic needs of the population are still not met.
The emergency relief coordinator reported that since the truce was declared, almost a thousand have been killed, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health Palestinians.
Millions need help
Fletcher also noted that about 70 percent of the population is in need of housing, and the service delivery system is on the verge of collapse. However, the humanitarian response plan received less than a quarter of the required funding.
The UN representative called on the Security Council to seek the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers, ensuring safe, stable and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza, as well as the allocation of funding appropriate the scale of the crisis.
“The civilian population cannot wait for a better diplomatic opportunity to obtain the funds they need to survive,” Fletcher stressed.