UN envoy sees potential turning point for Gaza, warns of uncertainties

UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov (on screens) speaks via a video link at a Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, Jan. 28, 2026. Alakbarov said Wednesday that there might be a turning point for Gaza, with both profound opportunity and considerable risk. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov said Wednesday that there might be a turning point for Gaza, with both profound opportunity and considerable risk.

Alakbarov told an open debate of the UN Security Council on the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, that the announced start of the second phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's 20-point comprehensive plan is a critical step in consolidating the ceasefire in Gaza.

Nearly the entire population in Gaza remains in need of humanitarian assistance, he said. Heavy rainfall and cold temperatures have exacerbated the suffering of more than 1.5 million displaced Palestinians in Gaza, while across all sectors, humanitarian actors are still unable to operate at scale.

Humanitarian work is being hindered by insecurity, customs clearance challenges, the limited number of partners authorized by Israeli authorities to bring cargo into Gaza, delays and denials of cargo at crossings, and limited routes available for transporting supplies within Gaza, said Alakbarov.

Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli military continues to conduct military operations, with airstrikes, shelling and gunfire occurring across the strip, he said, adding that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began, including many women and children.

Alakbarov highlighted continued tensions in the occupied West Bank.

Negative trends are entrenched daily. The reporting period between Sept. 20 and Dec. 2, 2025 was marked by continued violence, with extensive Israeli military operations, settlement expansion, settler violence, demolitions and large-scale detentions, he noted.

There is a genuine opportunity to lay the foundations for a more stable and secure future for Palestinians and Israelis, advance the goal of a legitimate Palestinian government that can reunify Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and chart a course toward ending the occupation and advancing a political process that will ultimately end the conflict, said Alakbarov. ■