Senior Peace Official Highlights Ongoing Hardships in Gaza Despite Truce

(MENAFN) A senior official from the Board of Peace cautioned Tuesday that conditions in the Gaza Strip “remain very, very difficult” even after initial progress under the first phase of a ceasefire, as stated by reports.

Nickolay Mladenov, the high representative for Gaza, addressed the UN Security Council on Palestine, saying, “Despite significant improvements through the implementation of phase one, the situation in Gaza remains very, very difficult. Essential services are operating at a fraction of pre-war capacity. The health care system is in collapse. There is no functioning economy.”

Mladenov outlined three immediate priorities. First, he 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.”

On humanitarian aid, he said the “current flow is not adequate for the scale of need,” emphasizing that the number of trucks allowed to deliver goods into Gaza must increase in the near term. He noted that “the pipeline is ready, but access must be improved.”

Mladenov also urged acceleration of temporary housing measures, stating that “over 2 million people cannot continue to endure undignified living conditions.”

Acknowledging imperfections, he emphasized the importance of fully implementing the ceasefire agreement, describing it as “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 said.

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