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U.N. committee renews call to fully implement Gaza ceasefire, condemns Israels ban on UNRWA
Summary
The U.N. Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People demanded full implementation of the Gaza ceasefire, criticized an Israeli ban on UNRWA operations, and outlined plans for an international conference in June to mobilize states for reconstruction and a political horizon.
Ambassador Seck, chair of the U.N. Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, on Friday urged full implementation of the Gaza ceasefire and called for sustained humanitarian access to the territory.
“We demand its full implementation and sustained humanitarian access for Gaza's 2,200,000 residents who face devastation, displacement and disease,” Ambassador Seck said, condemning what she described as an Israeli ban on UNRWA that “obstruct[s] vital humanitarian operations in direct violation of the U.N. mandate and General Assembly resolutions.”
The committee, meeting after electing its 2025 bureau by acclamation, called the January ceasefire a “critical step” to halt military operations and emphasized mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States while urging continued engagement by the U.N. Security Council. The bureau said it would prioritize diplomatic engagement, member-state mobilization and public awareness as part of its 2025 work programme, including an international conference planned for June.
Riyadh Mansour, the Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, echoed those calls and rejected proposals he said would remove Palestinians from Gaza. “The Gaza Strip is not a free land for anyone to grab it. The Gaza Strip belongs to the Palestinian people,” Mansour said, adding that Palestinians who returned to northern Gaza had done so on foot to begin cleaning and rebuilding.
Mansour and the committee repeated references to legal avenues, saying the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has characterized the occupation as illegal and that member states must act in line with U.N. decisions. The committee highlighted attacks in Jenin and damage to critical infrastructure, including a reported bombing of a UNRWA health clinic, and demanded unimpeded entry for humanitarian personnel to restore services.
The bureau also announced plans to commemorate the Nakba annually on May 15 and noted the committees upcoming 50th anniversary. It said the June conference will not be limited to statements but will seek concrete, law-based commitments from member states and regional groups aimed at ending what it described as the illegal occupation and creating a political horizon for a two-state solution.
Journalists in the room quoted public remarks by U.S. and other officials; committee members said international statements rejecting forced displacement and ethnic cleansing are widely shared among Arab and Muslim states and many other governments. The committee called on media to keep attention on alleged violations, humanitarian needs and prospects for reconstruction.
No formal votes or legally binding decisions were recorded at the meeting. Committee leaders said they would continue to press the Security Council and the General Assembly and to convene relevant regional and political-group meetings to build support for concrete action ahead of June.
