World

UN Protection Force Urged as Palestinian Life Threatened by Ongoing Violence

By Samer Jaber

Israel’s actions have made life increasingly impossible for Palestinians, prompting calls for an urgent UN protection force. The Israeli‑Palestinian conflict has long focused on political settlement, but the article argues that the immediate danger to Palestinian civilians and social structures is now paramount. In Gaza, a war described as genocidal has killed more than 74,000 people, destroyed whole neighbourhoods, critical infrastructure, and collapsed education and healthcare systems. Roughly 81 percent of structures in Gaza have been destroyed, leaving about 1.9 million displaced, most living in tents or makeshift shelters. In the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, settlers and the military have carried out demolitions, forced displacement, movement restrictions, loss of agricultural land, and fiscal pressure on the Palestinian Authority. Between 2023 and mid‑2025, 46 Palestinian communities were forcibly displaced, and homes in Hebron were demolished, displacing about 5,000 people and detaining at least 120. Healthcare facilities have suffered severe damage: only 19 of 36 hospitals and 73 of 158 primary health centres in Gaza remain partially functional, and 98 percent of Gaza’s schools were destroyed or damaged. In the West Bank, hospitals operate at reduced capacity due to withheld tax revenues, and hundreds of checkpoints hinder emergency care. Education is also under threat, with at least 84 schools, including in East Jerusalem, pending demolition or stop‑work orders, and many children unable to reach school because of movement restrictions. Palestinian livelihoods have been devastated; Gaza’s economy has been largely destroyed by the carpet‑bombing campaign and the Israeli siege, while in the West Bank, settler violence and land confiscation have cut off farmers from their land for three consecutive years. The World Food Programme has announced cuts to monthly food rations for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Employment opportunities have shrunk, with more than 90 percent of Palestinians in Gaza unemployed and West Bank unemployment doubling since 2023 to 29.5 percent in 2026, a figure likely undercounted. The Palestinian Authority, intended to govern Palestinian life, has become a security subcontractor for Israel, with Israel withholding an estimated $4.8‑5 billion in tax and customs revenue collected on its behalf while still funding its security apparatus. The article cites the International Court of Justice’s finding that Israel’s occupation is illegal and that Israel must facilitate aid access into Gaza, providing a legal basis for a protective force. It notes that the UN Security Council’s ability to approve such a mission is effectively blocked by a likely US veto, but the General Assembly could recommend collective measures under the 1950 “Uniting for Peace” precedent. A proposed coalition—potentially including South Africa, the Arab League, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation—could bring this recommendation to the General Assembly. The proposed protection force would have a clear mandate to act on threats to Palestinian life, establish a physical buffer between communities and settlers, and prevent attacks, rather than merely observing and reporting abuses. The article concludes that protecting Palestinian society must be treated as an issue in its own right, independent of any future political settlement, and that preserving the social, economic, and cultural foundations of Palestinian civilian life cannot be deferred.