Human Rights Situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Distr.: General | February 26, 2026

Sixty-first session | Agenda item 7

I. Introduction

1. This report focuses on the occupied Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Despite the "Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict" implemented in late 2025, the human rights landscape remains defined by institutionalized discrimination, systemic destruction of infrastructure, and a deepening climate of impunity.

1. The Task Force highlights that as of early 2026, the cumulative impact of hostilities and administrative measures by the occupying power indicates an effort to facilitate permanent demographic shifts, raising credible concerns of ethnic cleansing and apartheid.

II. Findings on Gaza: The Aftermath of Total Hostilities

3. Infrastructure and Life-Sustaining Services: Over 80% of structures in Gaza are damaged or destroyed. The deliberate targeting of water wells and desalination plants has created a man-made environmental catastrophe. Shortages of fuel and oil lubricants continue to handicap solid waste management, leading to the spread of infectious diseases.

4. Targeting of Aid Mechanisms: The 2026 ban on major international NGOs and the continued obstruction of UNRWA have severed the primary lifeline for 2.1 million people. The requirement for aid groups to provide sensitive staff biodata to the occupying military is a violation of humanitarian neutrality and data protection laws.

5. Human Cost: Verified reports confirm that over 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, including hundreds of healthcare workers and UN staff. Famine conditions, though slightly mitigated by the late 2025 ceasefire, persist due to the "Yellow Line" military deployments restricting access to agricultural land.

III. Findings on the West Bank: Annexation and Dispossession

6. Settler Violence and Displacement: 2026 has seen a surge in state-backed settler violence in the Jordan Valley. Since January, entire communities have been forcibly displaced through the destruction of schools, solar panels, and water tanks.

7. Legal and Administrative Annexation: The Israeli Security Cabinet’s February 2026 measures to alter administrative arrangements in Areas A and B represent a "de facto" annexation, stripping the Palestinian Authority of its remaining governance powers and eroding any prospect of a two-state solution.

8. Arbitrary Detention: Thousands of Palestinians remain held under administrative detention without charge. Reports of torture, degrading treatment, and humiliation—particularly of those returning to Gaza—remain pervasive.

IV. Legal Recommendations

• International Court of Justice (ICJ) Compliance: All states must ensure that Israel complies with the ICJ's binding provisional measures, particularly regarding the prevention of genocidal acts and the unhindered entry of humanitarian relief.

• Comprehensive Arms Embargo: Member states should immediately suspend the transfer of arms, munitions, and surveillance technology to the region where there is a clear risk of these being used to facilitate war crimes or maintain the system of apartheid.

• Universal Jurisdiction: National judicial authorities are urged to investigate and prosecute individuals suspected of orchestrating forcible transfers and the targeting of civilian infrastructure under the principle of universal jurisdiction.

• Recognition of "Gender and Racial Apartheid": The Task Force recommends that international legal bodies formally assess the current governance model in the West Bank against the Apartheid Convention, ensuring that legal consequences follow the finding of such a system.

V. Conclusion

The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has reached a legal and moral breaking point. The transition from active bombardment to administrative strangulation does not signal an end to the crisis; rather, it represents a new phase of systematic dispossession. Without immediate, legally-enforced international intervention to protect the integrity of humanitarian operations and the right of Palestinians to self-determination, the region faces a permanent state of structural violence and instability.