almontasher/Beirut, 17 October 2026–A new United Nations Secretary-General report prepared by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (
ESCWA) warns of severe and lasting economic, social and humanitarian repercussions of the Israeli occupation on Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. Covering key developments between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, the report also examines conditions affecting the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan.
Presented by ESCWA to the eighty-first session of the General Assembly on 16 October, after its presentation to the Economic and Social Council on 21 July 2026, the report underscores that the Palestinian people have endured unprecedented suffering over the past two and a half years.
Gaza
The report finds that Gaza’s GDP contracted by 84% in 2025 compared with 2023, while recovery and reconstruction needs are estimated at $71.4 billion over the next decade. It further shows that the conflict has set back human development in Gaza by an estimated 77 years.
Food insecurity has deepened significantly during the reporting period. In 2025, famine was confirmed in parts of Gaza. Under the 2026 Flash Appeal, 3 million people across the Occupied Palestinian Territory were identified as needing food assistance.
The report also highlights the severe impact on women and girls, noting that more than 38,000 women and girls were killed in Gaza between October 2023 and December 2025, alongside heightened risks related to health, food insecurity, displacement and gender-based violence.
Across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, unemployment reached 46% in 2025, rising to 78% in Gaza. About 700,000 school-aged children in Gaza remain out of formal schooling, while only 18 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were partially functional as of January 2026.
West Bank
In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the report documents intensified Israeli settlement activity, demolitions, displacement, movement restrictions and settler violence. During the reporting period, 2,018 incidents of settler violence resulting in casualties or property damage were documented. Plans for some 10,000 housing units were advanced or approved in East Jerusalem, alongside more than 26,640 units in Area C.
Syrian Golan
The report also addresses the occupied Syrian Golan. Settlement activity in the occupied Syrian Golan continues, including the expansion of existing settlements, the construction of new settlement units and the systematic confiscation of Syrian land, in violation of international law. Around 31,000 Israeli settlers now live across some 35 settlements.
The Secretary-General calls for urgent and sustained humanitarian action, full implementation of the ceasefire and respect for international law, stressing the need to end occupation, underscoring that “a lasting and comprehensive peace can only be achieved through a negotiated two-State solution.”
Prepared by ESCWA, the report was issued pursuant to Economic and Social Council resolution 2025/33 and General Assembly resolution 80/158 and draws on contributions from United Nations entities and other international organizations.
The full report is available at https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4121250?v=pdf.
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