UN rights chief warns Gaza remains 'catastrophic' despite cease-fire
Addressing the 61st session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said Palestinians continue to die from Israeli fire, hunger, cold and preventable diseases more than four months after the truce began.
“The situation in Gaza remains catastrophic,” Türk said, adding that aid entering the territory falls far short of overwhelming needs.
72,045 killed, 171,686 injured
According to figures cited by U.N. humanitarian agencies, at least 72,045 Palestinians have been killed and 171,686 injured since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023. Since the cease-fire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, at least 611 people have been killed and 1,630 injured through Feb. 19, 2026.
Israeli forces remain deployed across more than half of the territory, limiting access to farmland, infrastructure and humanitarian facilities.
While aid deliveries have increased significantly since the truce, U.N. agencies say supplies remain insufficient. More than 308,000 pallets of humanitarian cargo have entered Gaza, including nearly 200,000 metric tons of assistance. Community kitchens are producing about 1.75 million meals daily, but food rations meet only half of minimum caloric requirements.
The health sysetm
The health system remains severely strained, with only 19 of 37 hospitals fully or partially operational. Of 611 health facilities, fewer than half are functioning. Shortages of medicines, contaminated water and overcrowded displacement sites have heightened risks of disease.
Displaced people
About two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents — roughly 1.4 million people — remain displaced, many living in makeshift shelters. Funding shortages further hamper relief efforts, with only a small fraction of the $4.06 billion sought in the 2026 humanitarian appeal disbursed so far.
Türk also raised concerns about possible ethnic cleansing and unlawful annexation in Gaza and the West Bank, calling for a political solution based on international law and a two-state framework.
At the same session, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that human rights are under growing pressure worldwide, citing conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.
Turkish President Erdogan: Israel continue attacks despite the cease-fire
Separately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Israel has continued to escalate attacks in Gaza and the West Bank despite the cease-fire. Speaking at a Ramadan iftar dinner in Ankara on Wednesday, Erdogan accused the Israeli government of intensifying its assaults and praised Palestinians for their resilience.
The cease-fire has reduced large-scale fighting but has not ended civilian casualties or reversed Gaza’s humanitarian collapse.
