HAMILTON, Canada

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned that Israel's "unlawful" plans to expand settlements in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank would sever its northern and southern parts and deal a serious blow to the two-state solution.

"In the occupied West Bank, relentless illegal settlement expansion, demolitions, displacement, and evictions are accelerating," Guterres said at the opening session of the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP).

Over 37,000 Palestinians were displaced in the West Bank in 2025 alone, a year that also saw record levels of Israeli settler violence, Guterres said, adding: "The recently published tender by Israel for 3,401 housing units in the E1 area – alongside continued demolitions – is profoundly alarming."

"If carried forward, it would sever the northern and southern West Bank, undermine territorial contiguity, and strike a severe blow to the viability of a two-state solution," he said.

Such actions, including Israel's continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, are "deeply destabilizing" and "unlawful" under international law, as recalled by the International Court of Justice, he said.

Israeli operations in the West Bank have intensified since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, including killings, home demolitions, displacement of Palestinians and settlement expansion. Palestinians argue the escalation aims to pave the way for Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, which they say would effectively end prospects for a two-state solution envisioned in UN resolutions.

More than 1,110 Palestinians have been killed, about 11,500 wounded, and over 21,000 arrested in the West Bank during this period, according to official Palestinian figures.

The UN chief reaffirmed his support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), condemning laws adopted by the Israeli parliament that further impede the agency's ability to operate and carry out its mandate.

"I also condemn in the strongest terms actions by Israeli authorities to demolish the UNRWA Sheikh Jarrah compound in occupied East Jerusalem," he said.

Describing public threats by Israeli officials against UNRWA as "utterly abhorrent," Guterres stressed that the threats "must be met with unequivocal repudiation."

Regarding the situation in Gaza, Guterres emphasized the continued "grave suffering" of Palestinians and noted that "more than 500 Palestinians have been killed" since the ceasefire deal in October.

"I urge all parties to implement the agreement in full, exercise maximum restraint, and comply with international law and UN resolutions," he said, while calling for "rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief at scale – including through the Rafah crossing."

The crossing, the only one between Gaza and Egypt, reopened for limited traffic Monday after nearly two years of closure by Israel under strict conditions.

Israel closed the Rafah crossing, a vital route for humanitarian aid and a main exit point for Palestinians seeking to leave Gaza, in May 2024, nearly nine months into its genocide in Gaza that began in October 2023.

The relentless bombing has killed more than 71,000 people, injured over 171,000 others and reduced much of the enclave to rubble.

He stressed that "any sustainable solution in Gaza must be consistent with international law, and result in Gaza and the West Bank – including East Jerusalem – being governed by a unified, legitimate, and internationally recognized Palestinian Government."

"Gaza is and must remain an integral part of a Palestinian State," he affirmed.

Guterres further pointed to the importance of the work of CEIRPP and said, "The occupation must end, as affirmed by the International Court of Justice. The inalienable rights of the Palestinian people must be realized."