UN experts warn of continuing devastation in Gaza and West Bank

UN experts warned of continuing devastation in Gaza and the West Bank during a Palestinian rights committee briefing at UN headquarters in New York on 29 October 2026, according to the committee’s account. They called for protection of civilians, accountability and a recovery process in which Palestinians participate.

The committee reported that the briefers said genocide was continuing in Gaza and that war crimes and crimes against humanity were being committed in the West Bank. Its account attributed those warnings to the briefers collectively, without specifying which expert made each allegation.

The briefing took place a year after a Gaza ceasefire took effect, the committee said, without specifying the agreement’s start date. The committee’s 431st meeting focused on the consequences for human rights and humanitarian conditions across the occupied Palestinian territory.

The four briefers were Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory; Farida Shaheed, whose mandate covers education; Surya Deva, whose mandate concerns development; and Srinivasan Muralidhara, chair of the UN commission of inquiry covering the territory and Israel.

Their examination extended beyond immediate humanitarian needs. According to the committee, they considered how Israeli policies and practices, including expanding settlements, violence and forced displacement, affect Palestinian livelihoods and living conditions, with consequences accumulating over time and across generations.

Children and young people were a particular concern. The briefers described severe harm to them and examined how prolonged occupation affects Palestinians’ prospects for sustainable development, bringing education and future living conditions into the discussion alongside immediate civilian protection.

The discussion also addressed international legal responsibilities and accountability. On recovery and reconstruction, the committee said the briefers emphasized that Palestinians must be able to participate freely and meaningfully, rather than treating rebuilding solely as a question of physical reconstruction.

The UN describes the special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory as an independent expert selected by the Human Rights Council. The role is to assess human rights conditions and report publicly on them.