According to the figures cited in UN reporting ahead of the meeting, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the October 2025 ceasefire
October 15, 2026: One year after a ceasefire was meant to end the worst of the fighting in Gaza, the Security Council met today amid reports that more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since the October 2025 agreement took hold. Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.1 million people still need shelter as winter arrives, while aid remains tightly restricted and settler violence and demolitions continue in the West Bank.
The quarterly open debate on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” took place under Greece’s presidency, with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis expected to chair. Acting Special Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov briefed the Council. The timing was stark: days after the third anniversary of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks that killed roughly 1,200 people in Israel and triggered the war, and close to the first anniversary of the US-brokered Comprehensive Plan endorsed by the Council in resolution 2803.
That plan’s first phase delivered a ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages and established a Board of Peace chaired by US President Donald Trump as a transitional administration for Gaza. Later phases-Hamas disarmament, full Israeli withdrawal under an International Stabilization Force, and large-scale reconstruction have not materialised. In the chamber, the gap between the plan’s language and conditions on the ground dominated discussion.
UN figures presented around the meeting painted a grim picture. The International Organization for Migration has warned that current shelter supplies cover only about 17 percent of needs as colder weather approaches. OCHA has reported that Israeli restrictions continue to limit access to more than 64 percent of Gaza’s land, while underfunding further constrains aid. In the West Bank, more than 1,600 settler attacks had been recorded by mid-September, and over 4,300 Palestinians have been displaced this year; UN partners are trying to protect farmers during the olive harvest.
Statements from the floor reflected entrenched positions. The Palestinian representative warned of the “greatest danger” that Israel would strip remaining hope from Palestinians. Israel’s representative reiterated that Hamas has shown no genuine interest in peace and that the core issue remains the group’s disarmament. Council members and observers noted the persistence of lethal strikes, demolitions, and violence even after the formal cessation of major hostilities.
The debate did not produce a new resolution. It served instead as a formal accounting, one year into a ceasefire that has reduced the intensity of the earlier war but has not ended killing, displacement, or the humanitarian emergency. With most of Gaza’s population still in makeshift shelters, large areas of land still inaccessible, and the West Bank seeing continued settler attacks and demolitions, the Council’s quarterly review underscored how far the agreed framework remains from delivering lasting security or reconstruction for either side.
JANPATH NEWS NETWORK (JNN)
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