Palestine’s UN envoy says Gaza ceasefire depends on full Israeli withdrawal

Palestine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, has said the permanence and success of the Gaza ceasefire depend on a full Israeli withdrawal from the territory and an end to efforts to dictate Gaza’s future.

Addressing the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Mansour welcomed the ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025, saying it offered an immediate path toward ending the killing, famine and what he described as an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

“We support the plan because it offered an immediate path toward ending the killing and suffering,” Mansour said, while noting that the ceasefire’s objectives had yet to be fully realised.

Although acknowledging that thousands of lives had been saved, Mansour questioned the absence of accountability for Palestinian victims and highlighted the scale of unresolved loss.

“What about the countless Palestinian families whose loved ones have been killed, with thousands of bodies still crushed and buried under rubble yet to be found, yet to be identified and to be given dignified burial?” he asked.

He also referred to Palestinians who were detained or went missing, saying many had been “denied, tortured, humiliated, starved, raped, or remain unaccounted for,” stressing that the suffering of Palestinian civilians must be ended with the same urgency afforded to others.

Mansour condemned Israeli actions against humanitarian organisations, accusing Israel of waging a “war against humanitarian actors,” including the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and other non-governmental organisations.

He said their work had been undermined by repeated attacks on UN facilities, including the seizure and destruction of UNRWA’s headquarters in occupied East Jerusalem.

Reiterating that Israel has no sovereignty over Palestinian land, Mansour told the council that the occupation confers no legal rights in Palestinian territory, including Jerusalem.

“The ceasefire’s permanence and success require that Israel cease trying to dictate the future of Gaza and to fully withdraw from the territory,” he said, adding that Gaza is “an integral part of the Palestinian territory” belonging to the Palestinian people.

Mansour also called for Gaza to be reunified with the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, saying Palestinian self-determination and statehood “cannot be disposed of,” and urging Israel to halt any plans to forcibly displace Palestinians.

He said Palestine remains ready to work with the United States and international partners to uphold the ceasefire and begin recovery and reconstruction.

“Palestine needs a just peace more than any other country because it suffers most in its absence,” Mansour said, adding that Palestinians are seeking “a peaceful path to freedom.”

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