The Middle East, including the Palestinian Question: Urgent Briefing
Tomorrow afternoon (5 August), the Security Council will hold an urgent briefing under the agenda item “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question” (MEPQ). Israel requested the meeting in a letter dated 2 August to discuss the situation of the hostages held in Gaza. The request was supported by France, the UK, and the US. Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenča and a civil society representative are expected to brief.
Israel requested the meeting following the release of two videos last week by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) that show two hostages—Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski—under duress and in poor physical condition. Of the approximately 250 people taken hostage during the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, 49 remain in Gaza, of which 20 are believed to still be alive. Denouncing the “inhuman[e] conditions” of their captivity, including starvation and torture, Israel’s 2 August letter “urges the international community to focus on supporting the efforts to return the hostages, to exert pressure on Hamas and to unequivocally condemn its actions”.
At tomorrow’s meeting, the briefers and most Council members are expected to convey such messages, reiterating past statements calling for the hostages’ immediate and unconditional release. Some speakers may refer to the outcome document of the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution—held at UN Headquarters between 28 and 30 July—which called on Hamas to release the hostages and for the group’s disarmament as necessary steps towards a new ceasefire and a lasting political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Notably, the League of Arab States (LAS) endorsed the document, marking the first time that the organisation has formally adopted such a position regarding Hamas.
When expressing support for Israel’s request for tomorrow’s meeting, it seems that France and the UK described the briefing as an opportunity to also discuss the broader humanitarian situation in Gaza, which has continued to deteriorate under Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the territory. On 29 July, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) issued an alert warning that the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip”, as two out of three famine thresholds—food consumption and malnutrition—have been breached in parts of the territory. Following a spike in malnutrition-related deaths in July, the Gaza Ministry of Health reportedly recorded six new deaths today (4 August), bringing the total number of people who have died from hunger-related causes since the start of the war to 181, including 94 children. The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that 320,000 children—Gaza’s entire population under the age of five—are at risk of acute malnutrition.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued to argue last week that “there is no starvation in Gaza”, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced several steps on 26 and 27 July intended to facilitate humanitarian operations in the territory. These include a “local tactical pause” in military activity in certain areas; daily airdrop operations; reconnecting power to the southern Gaza desalination plant; lifting customs barriers on food, medicine, and fuel from Egypt; and the designation of secure routes for humanitarian convoys. In a 27 July statement, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher welcomed these moves but emphasised that “vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis” and called for additional measures to scale up humanitarian operations, including quicker clearances for UN convoys to cross and dispatch into Gaza; multiple crossings per day; and safe routes that avoid crowded areas. Tomorrow, many Council members may echo these requests.
In his statement, Fletcher also called for an end to attacks on Palestinians gathering for food. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), between 27 May and 31 July, at least 1,373 people seeking aid in Gaza were killed: 514 along food convoy routes, and 859 in the vicinity of sites managed by the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which bypasses the UN-run aid delivery architecture by handing out aid at four distribution points administered by US contractors and IDF soldiers. OHCHR reported that shooting and shelling of Palestinians by the Israeli military have continued along food convoy routes and in the vicinity of GHF sites despite the IDF’s announced measures to improve aid delivery. It added that intentionally directing attacks against civilians and using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
While US President Donald Trump has previously expressed strong support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, he appeared to break with Netanyahu last week. During a 28 July press briefing with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said that there is “real starvation” in Gaza and that the US would take action to address the situation. On 1 August, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited Gaza to meet with GHF and IDF officials and assess conditions on the ground. According to Witkoff, the purpose of the trip was to give Trump “a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza”. At tomorrow’s meeting, the US may provide more information about possible actions that it may take in this regard.
Meanwhile, negotiations on a new ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas—mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US—remain deadlocked. In recent weeks, the parties had been negotiating a proposal for a 60-day truce during which Hamas would release the remaining hostages in stages while talks continue over the terms of a permanent ceasefire. The parties were not able to agree on the details of this framework, however, and according to recent media reports, Israel and the US are now considering a plan to present Hamas with an ultimatum to release all the remaining hostages at once and agree to terms to permanently end the war, including the group’s disarmament. Hamas is likely to reject this demand, and Israel has reportedly threatened to further escalate its military operation and potentially occupy the entire Gaza Strip. Against this backdrop, most Council members at tomorrow’s meeting are expected to reiterate their calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza that preserves the viability of the two-state solution, in line with the steps outlined in the outcome document of the recent high-level conference on the matter.
