Statement by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory*
East Jerusalem, 1 July 2026
The United Nations and NGOs warn that the continued expansion of areas under Israeli control in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement in October 2025 is intensifying risks to civilians and further constraining humanitarian efforts.
Since this ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces have used lethal force to enforce access restrictions in those areas, where strikes and exchanges of fire have also occurred. Between 10 October 2025 and early April 2026, the UN verified the killing of 196 Palestinians, including 18 women and 43 children, in Israeli attacks reported near areas where Israeli forces are deployed. Many were reportedly killed while moving through areas lacking clear demarcation on the ground. Many others have been injured.
Humanitarian access remains severely constrained due to restrictions on movement which results in delays or pauses in life-saving activities. Some partners have had to scale down or temporarily suspend life-saving activities, particularly following the killing of service providers in those areas. This has affected up to thousands of families in the vicinity.
At the same time, the expanding control measures are reducing the space available to civilians. Most Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced multiple times and are now concentrated in increasingly limited areas, living amid insecurity and violence. Access to essential services is already strained by the insufficient entry of critical goods into Gaza. This situation is further compounded by the continued expansion and shifting of deployment lines.
The United Nations and humanitarian NGOs call for:
An immediate end to the targeting of Palestinians for being in areas close to Israeli forces;
The protection of civilians at all times and full compliance with international humanitarian and human rights law;
Safe and unimpeded humanitarian access into and across all parts of the Gaza Strip.
END
* The Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) is a strategic decision-making forum led by the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It brings together heads of UN entities and NGOs – both international and Palestinian – all working on humanitarian affairs in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip under internationally agreed humanitarian principles.
For media inquiries, please contact Ilona Gaudin, at +972 54 33 11 835 or gaudin2@un.org
