The Middle East, including the Palestinian Question: Briefing and Consultations
Tomorrow morning (25 February), the Security Council will hold its regular monthly briefing and closed consultations on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” (MEPQ). Sigrid Kaag will brief in her capacity as Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process ad interim. Two civil society representatives are also expected to brief: Daniel Levy, President of the US/Middle East Project—a non-profit policy institute focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—and Noa Argamani, a former Israeli hostage who had been held in Gaza.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is expected to be a key focus of tomorrow’s meeting. Under the terms of the first phase of the agreement, which went into effect on 19 January, Hamas was to release a total of 33 Israeli hostages—including the remains of eight deceased individuals—in exchange for the release of over 1,000 Palestinian detainees. Israel also committed to withdrawing from densely populated areas in Gaza and allowing a significant increase in humanitarian aid to enter the territory. While the ceasefire has largely held since it went into effect, the parties have repeatedly accused each other of violating its terms, with Hamas alleging that Israel has blocked the delivery of essential humanitarian items such as prefabricated homes, and Israel criticising Hamas for staging the staggered hostage releases in degrading public ceremonies.
On 20 February, Hamas returned the remains of four deceased hostages: Shiri Bibas, her two children, and an elderly man. Following forensic testing, however, Israeli authorities concluded that the remains of the woman purported to be Bibas did not in fact belong to her but were those of an unidentified woman. On 21 February, the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN sent a letter to the Security Council (S/2025/111) calling the misidentification a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire agreement, urging the Council to condemn it along with the killing of the Bibas family, and requesting an emergency Council meeting on the matter. Hamas acknowledged the error and returned the correct remains on 21 February.
The following day, Hamas released six living hostages in two public ceremonies and one private transfer. Israel was expected to release 620 Palestinian detainees in return, but the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently announced that their release would be postponed until the release of the remaining hostages had been assured “without the humiliating ceremonies”. Independent UN human rights experts have previously condemned the ceremonies organised by Hamas, as well as Israel’s “mistreatment and abuses” of Palestinian detainees. At tomorrow’s meeting—which will also serve as the emergency meeting requested by Israel—Kaag and most Council members are expected to urge both parties to uphold their obligations under international law and stress the importance of the full and effective implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
As the first phase of the agreement is set to expire on 1 March, speakers at tomorrow’s meeting are also likely to stress the need to agree on the terms of the second phase, which would establish a permanent ceasefire, during which Israel would fully withdraw from Gaza and Hamas would release all remaining hostages in exchange for additional detainees. Under the terms of the initial framework agreement, negotiations on the parameters of the second phase were supposed to begin by 3 February, but Israel has deferred the start of those talks. On 18 February, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that they would begin later that week, adding that Israel would consider an extension of the first phase of the agreement if negotiations on the second phase stalled past the 1 March deadline but proved “constructive”. One of the most contentious issues to be resolved during these talks is the post-war governance of Gaza: while Israel insists on the complete dismantlement of Hamas, the group has expressed openness to ceding civilian administration of the Gaza Strip but has not indicated willingness to disband its military wing. At the time of writing, it appeared that the parties had still not begun formal negotiations.
The situation in the West Bank is also likely to be raised tomorrow. On 21 January, Netanyahu announced the launch of a military operation to “counter terrorism” in the Jenin governate. Since then, 51 Palestinians, including seven children, and three Israeli soldiers have been killed, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have also destroyed residential buildings and critical infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, reportedly causing the displacement of 40,000 people in what has become the longest Israeli military operation in the West Bank since the early 2000s. In a 23 February statement, the IDF announced an expansion of military activity to other villages in the Jenin area, including the deployment of a tank division, also for the first time since the early 2000s. On the same day, media reports quoted Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz as saying that he had ordered the IDF to prepare for a “prolonged presence” in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps to “prevent the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism”. During closed consultations held on 4 February, Kaag briefed Security Council members on the situation in the West Bank and apparently expressed concern that Israel’s military tactics there were increasingly resembling those it has used in the armed conflict in Gaza.
Tomorrow, Kaag might also update Council members on the situation of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) following the entry into force on 30 January of legislation on UNRWA passed by the Israeli Knesset (parliament). One piece of legislation prohibits Israeli officials from having contact with UNRWA or anyone acting on its behalf. The other prohibits UNRWA from operating on Israeli territory, which the country interprets as encompassing the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), including East Jerusalem, where UNRWA’s West Bank field office is based. (For background on the legislation, see our 16 January and 27 January What’s in Blue stories and the brief on the MEPQ in our November 2024 Monthly Forecast.) On 18 February, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that Israeli security personnel had “forcefully entered” an UNRWA training centre in East Jerusalem and ordered its evacuation, as well as entered and ordered the closure of three UNRWA schools in the city. At tomorrow’s meeting, some Council members may express concern at any breach of UN premises and call on Israel to uphold its legal obligations with regards to UN privileges and immunities.
More broadly, several of tomorrow’s speakers—including Levy—are expected to emphasise the importance of identifying a long-term governance model for the OPT that supports the viability of a two-state solution. This issue received renewed attention earlier this month, when US President Donald Trump made a series of remarks suggesting that the US would “take over” Gaza after the war and that neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Jordan should resettle displaced Palestinians, who would not have a right to return to the territory. Under international law, the forced displacement of civilians is considered illegal and may constitute a war crime and a crime against humanity. In a 22 February interview, Trump appeared to moderate his stance, saying that he is “not forcing” this plan but will only “recommend” it.
Trump’s comments were strongly rejected by Palestinians and much of the international community, including Arab countries in the region, which have accelerated discussions on an alternative plan for Gaza’s reconstruction and governance. On 21 February, representatives of Gulf countries, Egypt, and Jordan met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to discuss an Egyptian proposal that would reportedly call for up to $20 billion in funding over three years to rebuild Gaza—without displacing its residents—under the management of a new Palestinian governing body. On the same day as that meeting, the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the UN announced that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA)—which governs the West Bank—would present its own plan for Gaza at an emergency meeting of the League of Arab States (LAS) scheduled to take place on 4 March in Cairo, Egypt. Under that plan, the PNA would “assume its duties and responsibilities in the Gaza Strip as in the West Bank”, suggesting that the PNA and some of its international partners may hold differing views on the appropriate governing entity for the territory.
Securing sufficient funding for Gaza’s reconstruction will also be a significant challenge for the international community. On 30 January, the Secretary-General published a needs assessment conducted following a request by the Tenth Emergency Special Session (ESS) of the General Assembly. In it, he noted that the war in Gaza has so far caused a total of $49 billion in damage, set back human development in the territory by as much as 69 years, and will require over $53 billion in recovery and reconstruction funds, of which over $20.5 billion will be needed during the first three years.
