Beirut: A senior UN official warned Tuesday that Gaza's recovery remains "far too slow" and that worsening violence in the occupied West Bank risks wider escalation across the Occupied Palestinian Territory. "I am briefing you today as the situation in the West Bank is rapidly deteriorating, as we witnessed in the last few days," Ramiz Alakbarov, UN deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the UN Security Council. Alakbarov warned that a wider escalation was "increasingly likely" unless immediate steps were taken to reverse the current course.

According to Anadolu Agency, Alakbarov highlighted that during his recent visit to the Gaza Strip, he observed that humanitarian conditions had "improved somewhat, but progress is far too slow." He noted that while there have been advances in clearing solid waste and coordinating the entry of sanitation supplies, these efforts are "highly insufficient" given the enormous scale of needs.

Alakbarov described witnessing "immense hardship amid continued displacement, overcrowded living conditions, widespread destruction, and near-daily casualties caused by ongoing Israeli military operations," while also seeing Palestinians "taking courageous steps against all odds to start rebuilding their lives." He emphasized that "human dignity should not be conditional," and community resilience cannot replace the necessity for large-scale deliveries of essential materials, including those classified as "dual-use" by Israel, or the political will needed to genuinely advance Gaza's recovery.

He further stated that Gaza remains confined to roughly one-third of its territory due to ongoing Israeli military operations and airstrikes, warning that the enclave "remains a dangerous place for the UN to operate and deliver assistance."

Turning to the occupied West Bank, Alakbarov reported that escalating violence over the past week has resulted in civilian casualties, displacement, property damage, and "growing insecurity," citing persistent attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian communities, homes, places of worship, and infrastructure. He urged Israel to take immediate and effective measures to prevent settler violence, protect Palestinian communities, and ensure accountability for all perpetrators.

Alakbarov also mentioned that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced on July 14 that the Israeli Security Cabinet had allocated 1.3 billion shekels for temporary housing units in dozens of new settlements in the occupied West Bank before formal approval, reiterating that "all settlements are illegal under international law."

Additionally, Alakbarov expressed concern over the "repeated unauthorized entry of Israeli forces and officials into the UNRWA Kalandia Training Centre in East Jerusalem" during class hours, stressing that UN premises "are inviolable and immune from any form of interference." He warned that the Palestinian Authority's fiscal situation "remains critical" as Israel continues withholding clearance revenues, hindering its ability to pay full civil servant salaries and provide essential services such as education and health care.

Finally, Alakbarov referred to the June 26 Trilateral Framework between the US, Israel, and Lebanon as "a milestone," emphasizing that Gaza's reconstruction "cannot be sustained in the absence of a political process" and urged the UN Security Council to ensure its resolutions are translated into meaningful action on the ground.