UN: Aid reaches Gaza since ceasefire but concerns persist in West Bank; UNIFIL reports weapons caches in south Lebanon

The United Nations reported that humanitarian operations are delivering assistance across Gaza while raising concerns about violence and displacement in the West Bank and weapons discoveries in south Lebanon.

The UN spokesperson said that “since the ceasefire, some 138,000 people across Gaza have benefited from cash assistance including people with disabilities as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.” The spokesperson added that UNICEF reported improved market conditions and more diverse diets for young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women since the ceasefire.

Humanitarian partners are also providing shelter support, the spokesperson said, distributing “tents, tarpaulins, blankets, mattresses, clothes, kitchen items to thousands of families hosted in 120 shelters throughout the Gaza Strip.”

The nut graf: While aid deliveries to Gaza have expanded, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) remains concerned about operations in the West Bank and settler violence that has caused displacement and damaged livelihoods.

Regarding the West Bank, the spokesperson said OCHA is “continuing to monitor the situation and remains concerned by the Israeli forces ongoing operations in the northern part of the West Bank,” calling this the longest military security operation in the area since the early 2000s. Between Feb. 11 and Feb. 17, OCHA documented 34 incidents involving settlers that resulted in casualties or property damage; one reported incident included the severing of agricultural water pipes in Tulkarm Governorate, affecting dozens of Palestinian farmers. The spokesperson added that nearly 40 Palestinians were displaced near Al Ma'niya Village in Bethlehem during the same period and that OCHA has documented about 2,300 Palestinians, including roughly 1,100 children, displaced across the West Bank since the start of 2023 because of heightened settler violence and access restrictions.

On remains and detainee-handling issues, the spokesperson said the secretary‑general is “deeply concerned by reports that the remains of Shiri Biba, the Israeli hostage, which were due to be returned yesterday alongside her children's remains are still missing. He stresses the imperative to respect the dignity of the deceased and to ensure their remains are returned to their families in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights law.”

Turning to Lebanon, the spokesperson said UNIFIL peacekeepers discovered several unexploded ordnances and caches of unauthorized weapons in areas of operations in south Lebanon over the past two days; those discoveries were reported to the Lebanese Armed Forces for disposal. The briefing also noted that Lebanese Armed Forces were deployed in approximately 100 positions south of the Litani River and that the UN mission had observed sporadic Israeli Defense Forces activity and gunfire in its area of operations.

Ending: The spokesperson called for continued adherence to ceasefire and hostage‑release commitments and said the UN would continue monitoring humanitarian access and security developments across the region.