The Middle East, including the Palestinian Question: Briefing and Consultations
On Wednesday morning (27 August), the Security Council will hold its regular monthly open briefing on “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” (MEPQ). Ramiz Alakbarov, the Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator at the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), is expected to brief. One or more civil society representatives may also brief. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing.
Israel’s expansion of its military campaign in Gaza is expected to be a key focus of Wednesday’s meeting. On 20 August, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had started the first stages of an operation to take over Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban centre, where over 800,000 people reside. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the plan earlier this month, describing it as a necessary step to defeat Hamas and return the remaining hostages that the group is holding. The IDF said that the operation will entail the evacuation of the city’s entire civilian population to the southern part of the Gaza Strip, raising concerns about intensified displacement: according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 86 percent of the territory is already within Israeli militarised zones or under evacuation orders, while an inter-agency monitoring mechanism has recorded nearly 810,000 displacement movements since the latest ceasefire between Israel and Hamas broke down in mid-March. In preparation for the offensive, the IDF has stepped up military operations around Gaza City in recent days, causing dozens of casualties as the enclave’s total death toll since the beginning of the war in October 2023 has surpassed 62,000, according to local health authorities. Today (25 August), Israel also struck Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, killing at least 20 people, including five local journalists working for international media outlets.
The planned takeover of Gaza City is likely to worsen food insecurity in the territory, which has already reached disastrous levels amidst ongoing fighting, Israel’s restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, and the collapse of local food systems and infrastructure. On 22 August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed that famine is occurring in Gaza governorate—the metropolitan area that includes Gaza City—and was projected to spread to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis governorates by the end of September. The IPC said that over half a million people across the Gaza Strip face catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5) characterised by starvation, destitution, and death. Another 1.07 million are facing emergency conditions (IPC Phase 4), and 396,000 people are in crisis (IPC Phase 3). Conditions in North Gaza governorate were estimated to be as severe—or worse—than in Gaza governorate but limited data prevented classification of that area. Israeli authorities have rejected the IPC’s findings.
Meanwhile, negotiations between Israel and Hamas on a new ceasefire agreement remain stalled, as the parties continue to shift positions on the parameters of a potential deal. Earlier this month, Hamas reportedly accepted a proposal put forward by Egyptian and Qatari mediators for a 60-day truce during which the group would release approximately half of the 50 hostages it is still holding in exchange for the release of Palestinian detainees, the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops, and increased humanitarian aid. The proposal was based on a framework previously put forward by US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff in June, which Israel accepted at the time, but Hamas rejected for not guaranteeing a permanent end to the war. Following the latest proposal from Egypt and Qatar, those positions appear to have reversed, with Israel reportedly now insisting on a comprehensive deal that releases all of the hostages at once and sets conditions for a lasting end to the fighting, including Hamas’ disarmament—a demand that the group has said it will reject until the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Israel’s expansion of the war in Gaza and the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation there have further raised international alarm. In a 22 August statement, Secretary-General António Guterres described the famine in the territory as “a man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself”. He called on Israel as the occupying power to uphold its obligations under international law, “including the duty of ensuring food and medical supplies of the population”, and reiterated his appeal for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of the hostages, and full humanitarian access. In a separate statement issued the same day, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher called the famine predictable and preventable, saying that it was “openly promoted by some Israeli leaders as a weapon of war”. He further urged Israeli authorities to open all border crossings and allow the entry of humanitarian aid “unimpeded and at the massive scale required”. Similarly, Alakbarov characterised the famine as “entirely human-made” and stressed that “[f]urther escalation of the war will lead to more forced displacement, violence, and widespread destruction”.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Alakbarov is likely to echo these messages, as are the majority of Council members, who have already convened twice to discuss Israel’s planned occupation of Gaza City and its likely humanitarian consequences: once in an open emergency briefing held on 10 August and once in closed consultations under “any other business” on 21 August. At those meetings, most members condemned Israel’s planned occupation of Gaza City and the restrictions that the country has imposed on humanitarian aid as violations of international law—positions that they are expected to reiterate on Wednesday. It seems that at the 21 August discussion, which was held at Algeria’s request, some members advocated for the Council to adopt a resolution in response to recent developments, which they may urge again on Wednesday. The US, by contrast, is likely to continue to blame Hamas for the continuation of the war and may reiterate its call on the group to end the fighting by releasing the remaining hostages and disarming. It may also voice its opposition to any Council resolution, arguing—as it has regarding past products on the conflict—that Council action would undermine ongoing ceasefire negotiations.
Speakers are also expected to discuss the situation in the West Bank, where the rise in settler violence, settlement construction, and destruction of Palestinian structures has continued. As at 21 August, OCHA had documented more than 1,000 attacks by Israeli settlers in 230 communities across the West Bank since the beginning of 2025, which had resulted in the killing of 11 Palestinians and the injury of roughly 700 others as well as property damage. Additionally, on 20 August, Israeli authorities issued final approval for the controversial “E1” settlement plan, which entails the construction of thousands of residential and commercial units in the E1 area that is located in the West Bank between East Jerusalem and the Ma’ale Adumim settlement. According to OCHA, the plan would effectively separate the northern and central West Bank from the south, as well as further disconnect East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, threatening the territorial contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) and heightening the risk of forced displacement for Palestinian Bedouin communities in the area. The plan—which has been under consideration for decades but not implemented because of international pressure—was approved by far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said that it was intended to “permanently bury the idea of a Palestinian state”.
In a 20 August statement, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric condemned the E1 settlement plan, calling it a violation of international law and “an existential threat to the two-state solution”. He reiterated the Secretary-General’s call on Israel to immediately halt all settlement activity and to comply fully with its obligations under international law in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and in line with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in its advisory opinion of 19 July 2024, which found Israel’s continued presence in the OPT unlawful. At Wednesday’s meeting, many speakers are expected to convey similar messages and reiterate the importance of preserving the viability of the two-state solution, including by implementing measures outlined in the outcome document of the high-level international conference on the matter, which was held at UN Headquarters in July. Council members such as France and the UK may describe their recently announced intention to recognise Palestinian statehood as steps towards this end.
