HAMILTON, Canada 

The UN warned on Thursday that the Gaza Strip is at a "momentous, but precarious juncture," calling for urgent international action to safeguard a "fragile" ceasefire.

"After two years of devastating war and unimaginable human suffering, we now have an opportunity to conclude a dark chapter in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and set the course for a more just and peaceful future," Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN's deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said during a Security Council session on Palestine.

Citing the ceasefire plan introduced by US President Donald Trump, Alakbarov also hailed the "remarkable diplomatic effort" by the US, Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye.

"Tragically, it has taken us far too long to reach this moment," he said, noting that "the situation throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory remains dire, and the destruction in Gaza is beyond description, while Palestinian civilians – children, women, and men – continue to suffer deeply from the effects of war and deprivation."

He welcomed a "46% increase in aid" entering Gaza in the first week of the ceasefire but warned that relief remains far from meeting urgent needs.

"Humanitarian assistance must enter the Strip at scale to meet the enormous needs of the population wherever they are," he said.

Noting that restoring order will be essential to supporting recovery efforts, he said: "The magnitude of destruction and continued suffering of Palestinians I have witnessed in Gaza is staggering."

He further warned that the current calm could collapse without sustained political and humanitarian engagement, and said: "A return to conflict must be avoided at all costs."

Urging for more crossings, unrestricted aid flows, safe passage for civilians and aid workers, he also stressed the need for renewed space for humanitarian operations.

On the "alarming" situation in the occupied West Bank, Alakbarov said: "Tens of thousands of Palestinians remain displaced from their homes in the northern West Bank in the wake of large-scale Israeli security forces operations and continued closures, particularly in and around the refugee camps."

"With the annual olive harvest underway, Palestinians are yet again subject to deplorable acts of settler-violence while trying to access their lands," he said, calling for accountability and the return of displaced families.

Reaffirming the UN's support for a two-state solution, Alakbarov said the international community must rally behind reconstruction efforts and a viable "political horizon" so Israelis and Palestinians can "live side-by-side in peace and security…with Jerusalem as the capital of both states."