Gaza situation remains 'very, very difficult' despite ceasefire, warns Board of Peace envoy

A senior envoy for Gaza warned Tuesday that conditions in the enclave remain "very, very difficult" despite progress achieved during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Addressing the UN Security Council, Nickolay Mladenov, high representative for Gaza of the Board of Peace, painted a grim picture of the territory's recovery.

Collapse of essential services

"Despite significant improvements through the implementation of phase one, the situation in Gaza remains very, very difficult," Mladenov said. "Essential services are operating at a fraction of pre-war capacity. The health care system is in collapse. There is no functioning economy." He outlined three immediate priorities for stabilizing the situation.

Rafah crossing critical

Mladenov stressed that "the Rafah crossing must remain open and permit more people to cross in and out of Gaza," warning that "any restriction on its operation directly impedes the implementation of phase two of the ceasefire." He also noted that current humanitarian aid flows are "not adequate for the scale of need," adding that "the pipeline is ready, but access must be improved."

Housing and reconstruction

The envoy called for accelerating temporary housing solutions, noting that "over 2 million people cannot continue to endure undignified living conditions." While acknowledging that "no plan is perfect," Mladenov urged full implementation of the ceasefire deal, arguing it is "the only document that connects decommissioning, reconstruction, civilian transition and the reunification of Palestinian institutions into a single sequence." "If we are serious about advancing peace between Israelis and Palestinians, then we must be equally serious about implementing this plan," he concluded.