Israel/Palästina

Nickolay Mladenov, the senior representative of the Board of Peace, warned of the humanitarian and security situation in the Gaza Strip, which the Israeli military has struck almost daily. He emphasized that dismantling Hamas' arsenal is essential before any progress can be made.

The twenty-seven foreign ministers of the European Union approved new sanctions on Monday on Israeli settlers over rising violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. There has been a surge in attacks by settlers since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, the UN has recorded.

In an open letter, 448 former European leaders and diplomats, including former EU foreign policy head Josep Borrell, urged the EU to act against a major Israeli settlement project known as E1, which aims to cut the West Bank in two.

The European Union has unveiled a new programme aimed at assisting and protecting Palestinians affected by escalating settler violence in the West Bank, signalling a shift in Brussels’ approach as conditions on the ground continue to deteriorate.

The Security Council turns again to the Middle East crisis in New York on Tuesday, with debate focusing on the fragile Gaza ceasefire, a worsening humanitarian crisis there and efforts to advance a US-backed peace plan. UN senior political affairs official Khaled Khiari warned of increasingly dire conditions in Gaza and the West Bank, while former UK Prime Minister and US-led Board of Peace member, Tony Blair, said the council needs to mobilise funds for recovery at this “pivotal juncture”.

The UN and European Union issued a joint warning on Monday that human development across Gaza has been set back by a staggering 77 years, with $71.4 billion needed over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction. That’s according to the final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), jointly conducted with the UN-partnered World Bank.

Hamas has rejected the disarmament plan of a top figure in President Donald Trump's Gaza peace efforts, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations has told the BBC.

Palestinian militant group Hamas has told mediators it will not discuss giving up arms without guarantees that Israel will fully quit Gaza as laid out in a disarmament plan from U.S. President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace", three sources told Reuters.

A United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights report warned on Tuesday that in one year, from November 1, 2024, to October 31, 2025, Israel’s Government has accelerated unlawful settlement expansion and annexation of large parts of the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.  This has led to settler violence and the forced displacement of over 36,000 Palestinians amid increasing violence by Israeli security forces and settlers.

Humanitarian needs are continuing to grow again across Gaza, the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said on Wednesday, amid mounting pressures on aid delivery and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.