UN Council Debates Gaza as Ceasefire Fragments, Plan Stalls
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- The UN Security Council held its quarterly debate on the Middle East and question of Palestine on 28 July 2026, with delegates warning Gaza and the West Bank remain gripped by violence despite the limited ceasefire established under resolution 2803 (2025).
- Key provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Plan—including Hamas disarmament, Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, and deployment of the International Stabilization Force—remain only partially implemented, speakers stressed.
- The New York Declaration, endorsed by 142 of 193 UN General Assembly members in September 2025 and organized by France and Saudi Arabia, was cited as the political framework guiding the two-State solution agenda; Israel, the United States, and eight other countries voted against.
- The European Union called on Israel to urgently release all withheld clearance revenues and extend correspondent banking services between Israeli and Palestinian banks, while pledging continued support for the Palestinian Authority's reform agenda and elections.
- Türkiye's delegate described UNRWA as an "indispensable partner" for sustained humanitarian delivery in Gaza and insisted on advancing a two-State solution based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
- Regional tensions are mounting as the US-Iran war continues and rising Israeli attacks threaten Gaza's ceasefire that ended two years of war with Hamas, according to the briefing.
Why it matters: With the October ceasefire that ended two years of Hamas war already fraying under Israeli attacks and the Comprehensive Peace Plan's three core pillars—Hamas disarmament, Israeli withdrawal, stabilization force deployment—still incomplete, the debate marks a moment where the international community is publicly pressuring for full implementation before the fragile truce collapses entirely.
