Merve Aydogan
19 February 2026•Update: 19 February 2026
HAMILTON, Canada
The UK’s foreign secretary warned Wednesday that violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are threatening to derail a US-backed peace effort, citing mounting casualties and deepening instability in the occupied Palestinian territories.
"The ceasefire itself remains fragile, and the progress we all seek is at risk. We have seen ceasefire violations on both sides," Cooper said at the UN Security Council's high-level session on the situation in Palestine.
Noting that "over 600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire began," she said such violations are "deeply disturbing and undermine phase one of President (Donald) Trump's peace plan. Gaza must not get stuck in a no man's land between peace and war."
Calling for urgent steps to stabilize Gaza, Cooper said: "We need to see the Palestinian police strengthened, international stabilization force deployment and IDF (Israeli forces) withdrawal from the Strip."
She outlined broader political goals, adding: "Second, we need to build stable Palestinian governance."
"Third, we must prevent the destabilization of the West Bank and preserve the viability of a Palestinian state," she said, warning of rising tensions.
"We are witnessing an all-time high of Israeli settlement expansion and settler violence in a flagrant breach of international law, with Palestinian families and communities driven from their homes, beaten while farming their own land, and attacks that sow terror among civilians. This is deeply, deeply wrong and a clear contravention of the resolutions of this council and counterproductive," she said.
Cooper also stressed the urgency of humanitarian relief, stating that "fourth and most important of all, most immediately, we must address Gaza's catastrophic humanitarian situation."
Criticizing Israeli restrictions on aid groups, she said: "The Israeli government's policy of deregistering and shutting down the operations of international NGOs in Gaza, including British organizations like Save the Children, risk choking off essential access to people in desperate need and closing fragile health facilities."
Urging Israeli officials to "urgently ensure that experienced and longstanding organizations can continue to operate," she added that "the UN and its partners must remain at the heart of the response throughout the whole of Gaza, including the proper protection of all UNRWA and UN staff, premises and operations."
"We know we cannot undo the trauma of the past, but we can chart a different course for generations to come, to help realize Palestinian self-determination, to help provide Israel with long-term security and to secure the two-state solution as the only path to lasting peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis alike," she said.
The UK currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council.
