Security Council hears Gaza resolution 2803 is not being carried out; UNICEF reports more than 340 children killed since ceasefire

The Security Council heard at its quarterly open debate on the Palestinian question that the Gaza ceasefire has stalled. This paper reported the debate in its issue of Saturday, October 17, 2026. Ramiz Alakbarov, Acting Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, spoke by video from Jerusalem. UN News in French, Spanish and Arabic reported that he said the risk of a return to war has never been higher.

Alakbarov said Israeli military operations have caused some 1,500 Palestinian deaths since the ceasefire took effect, including more than 320 children and 140 women. He attributed the count to Gaza's Ministry of Health. UN News in English reported a lower figure, more than 1,400. None of the supplied documents verifies either count.

He described a visit to Gaza on 11 and 12 October. He said Palestinians living along the Yellow Line told him “the ceasefire exists in name only”. He lamented “continued paralysis” in carrying out Council resolution 2803 (2025).

That resolution endorsed a United States-brokered plan for Gaza and welcomed a Board of Peace chaired by United States President Donald J. Trump. UN News in French and Spanish reported that the plan's main provisions remain unapplied. These are the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the deployment of an international stabilization force and a new Palestinian administration.

The delegate of the United States said “Gaza cannot afford to return to scattered efforts that have failed in the past”. She said the plan's success depends on Hamas giving up its weapons, and that “Nothing will be taken on trust”. Israel's representative said Hamas must disarm. Majed Bamya, Deputy Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, said Israel has obstructed the Board of Peace at every turn. The supplied sources do not report a vote or a Council decision at this meeting.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) added its own count on Friday. Its spokesperson, Ricardo Pires, told journalists in Geneva that more than 340 children have been reported killed in Gaza, and hundreds more injured, since the ceasefire agreement was announced a little over one year ago. UNICEF did not say who made the original reports of the deaths or how they were checked. The figure is close to, but not the same as, the more than 320 children counted by the Ministry of Health in Alakbarov's account. The reports do not explain the difference.

Mr. Pires said that in the last two weeks five boys and two girls have been reported killed, and at least 33 children seriously injured, in airstrikes, drone strikes and gunfire. He said families “mourning the loss of their children, those terrible statistics do not equate with a ceasefire”. UNICEF said 800,000 children remain displaced in Gaza, and 60,000 have seen one or both parents killed.

UN News in English reported that nearly all of Gaza's 2.1 million people still need shelter assistance. It cited the International Organization for Migration as saying current supplies meet only about 17 per cent of needs. It cited the UN humanitarian office, OCHA, as saying aid is held back by underfunding and Israeli restrictions.

The week left the main questions open. The Council took no decision, the plan's provisions remain unapplied according to UN News, and the death counts remain unchecked. Several accounts come from UN officials and UN-run news services. UNICEF and other UN agencies deliver aid in Gaza, so the UN is itself a party to the story.