Gaza Peace Efforts Face Setbacks Amid Renewed Civilian Killings

Bread is distributed at a bakery in Nuseirat, Gaza.

The UN relief chief on Wednesday urged Israel and Hamas to honour their agreement to return deceased hostages and allow large-scale aid deliveries into Gaza, warning that humanitarian access should not be used as “a bargaining chip,” amid reports of new civilian killings and extrajudicial executions.

In a statement, Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said that two days after world leaders gathered in Sharm el-Sheikh to endorse the US-led peace initiative, “this is a moment of great but precarious hope.”

“It is also clear from the public response to the progress that Palestinians, Israelis, and people across the region want this peace to take hold,” Mr Fletcher said.

“So, we must not fail to see through, in full, the implementation of the agreements made.”

He noted that UN humanitarian operations had finally begun to scale up after months of frustration and blockages, with food, medicine, fuel, water, cooking gas, and tents now being delivered to those in need.

Renewed setbacks

However, Mr Fletcher warned that renewed setbacks now threaten to undermine that fragile progress.

“We are now being tested to see whether we can ensure that these do not prevent the progress on which President [Donald] Trump, the UN Secretary-General, and so many leaders have insisted,” he said.

Mr Fletcher called on Hamas to “make strenuous efforts to return all the bodies of deceased hostages urgently,” and voiced concern over “evidence of violence against civilians in Gaza.”

He also urged Israel to allow “the massive surge of humanitarian aid – thousands of trucks a week – on which so many lives depend.” He added that additional border crossings must be opened and remaining logistical barriers lifted to ensure aid flows freely.

“Facilitation of aid is a legal obligation,” Mr Fletcher stressed. “We will not accept any interference with our aid distribution.”

Summary executions in Gaza

His appeal came as the UN human rights office (OHCHR) reported new allegations of serious abuses in Gaza, including summary executions and unlawful killings of civilians.

Armed clashes between Hamas-affiliated groups and rival factions have intensified since 10 October, OHCHR said in a statement.

On 13 October, video footage released by the Sahm Unit, reportedly linked to Gaza’s Interior Ministry, showed the public execution of eight blindfolded and handcuffed men, allegedly members of a Gaza City-based family militia.

OHCHR said such acts “amount to a war crime” and reminded Hamas that it “must prevent and repress any violation or abuse committed by its members.”

Meanwhile, Israeli forces were reported to have opened fire on Palestinians attempting to return to their homes in eastern Gaza City on 14 October, killing three. OHCHR said it had recorded 15 Palestinian deaths in similar incidents since 10 October.

“The situation in Gaza remains precarious and uncertain,” said Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

“It is imperative to ensure that the ceasefire holds and progresses toward recovery and the full realisation of Palestinians’ right to self-determination,” he added.