Fletcher spoke before the UN Security Council, which met to discuss the issue of Palestine under the title “Situation in the Middle East”.
Fletcher argued that the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which entered into force in October 2025, has reduced civilian casualties and removed some barriers to accessing humanitarian assistance, saying that UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and the 20-article plan aim to provide “much more than that.”
Fletcher stressed that the situation in Gaza was not “sustainable” and said: “Today, Palestinians in Gaza continue to be deprived of the basic needs that you would demand for your own families.” he said.
Noting that daily airstrikes, bombings and armed conflicts continue to kill and maim civilians in Gaza, Fletcher said: “Such results occur when children are defined as victims and potential terrorists rather than as people and potential neighbors.” he said.
Fletcher also noted that Gaza remains “the most dangerous place in the world” for those trying to provide humanitarian assistance, stressing that nearly 600 aid workers have been killed in Gaza in about three years, and that number accounts for more than half of the more than 1,000 humanitarian workers killed worldwide.
Noting that humanitarian workers in Gaza continue to face constant and deliberate restrictions, Fletcher said: “Access to humanitarian assistance continues to depend on at most one or two functional border gates, when much greater capacity could be provided by facilitating the movement of supplies and personnel.” he said.
“Decades of decline (in the West Bank) are accelerating rapidly.”
Referring to what is happening in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Fletcher said: “There has been a sustained deterioration there for decades, marked by the expulsion of the Israeli authorities and discriminatory policies against Palestinians.” he said.
Explaining that 2026 has seen Israeli violence attempting to seize the land of an average of six Palestinians per day in the West Bank, Fletcher said: “Forced displacement, destruction of homes and other property, usurpation of land and restrictions on movement are draining daily life from within.” he said.
Fletcher continued:
“These measures appear to be aimed at changing the demographic structure of the occupied Palestinian territories, which is a violation of international law, and this must be stopped.”
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