Human Rights Watch: Gaza ceasefire hollow

Human Rights Watch said on May 19 that the October 2025 Gaza ceasefire has not delivered the relief it was meant to bring. The group said Israeli authorities were still obstructing humanitarian access and that continuing attacks had killed civilians during the truce. In the same statement, Human Rights Watch said Gaza’s humanitarian system remained “in peril” more than six months after the agreement took effect. (hrw.org) The group’s account comes as the U.N.-recognized Board of Peace prepares to present its six-month progress report to the Security Council on May 21. The Human Rights Watch statement centered on aid access, civilian casualties and medical evacuations. It said aid volumes remained far below what was needed and that critical access routes had been repeatedly obstructed, citing U.N. humanitarian reporting. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The group also said the World Health Organization suspended medical evacuations through Rafah for six days in April after attacks on humanitarian and medical personnel. ### What did Human Rights Watch say is still happening during the ceasefire? Human Rights Watch said Israeli attacks had continued despite the ceasefire and cited Gaza Health Ministry figures showing at least 856 Palestinians killed and 2,463 wounded since the truce began in October 2025. Adam Coogle, the group’s Middle East deputy director, said the plan “was supposed to bring relief” but that Palestinians in Gaza were still hungry, unable to reach medical care and still being killed. (hrw.org) The October 2025 agreement was described by Human Rights Watch as part of a U.S.-brokered “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict.” The group said the plan included increased humanitarian aid, phased Israeli military withdrawals from parts of Gaza and steps to restore essential civilian infrastructure. (hrw.org) ### How severe is the toll on aid workers? Human Rights Watch said that, as of late April, OCHA had recorded at least 593 aid workers killed in Gaza since October 2023, including eight since the ceasefire began. The group presented that figure as evidence that humanitarian operations remain exposed even during the truce. OCHA’s recent public updates available online have also described Gaza as one of the deadliest places for humanitarian personnel, though the totals in those separate updates vary by publication date. (hrw.org) An OCHA update crawled last week said at least 565 aid workers had been killed since October 2023, while another update said eight aid workers were killed in a single week earlier this year. Human Rights Watch attributed its higher 593 figure to OCHA data current as of late April. ### What does this say about reconstruction? Reuters and other outlets reported this week that the Board of Peace told the Security Council in a May 15 report that a funding gap was slowing reconstruction. The report said pledges to the board remained at $17 billion but that disbursements had not kept pace, and urged governments to accelerate payments. (hrw.org) The same report said Gaza’s reconstruction bill was expected to exceed $70 billion and that 85% of buildings and infrastructure had been destroyed, according to accounts that cited the document. Human Rights Watch said the ceasefire framework made restoration of civilian infrastructure a central part of the plan, but argued that humanitarian lifelines were still being undermined. (unocha.org) ### Why is Hamas also part of the ceasefire debate? The Jerusalem Post reported on May 19 that a captured Hamas military document showed the group used an earlier 2025 ceasefire to train 121 recruits in a seven-day program for its Shejaia Battalion. That report, which cited a document found by Israeli troops, said the training was designed for possible renewed fighting with Israel. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The Board of Peace’s report to the Security Council also said Hamas’ refusal to disarm remained a central obstacle to full implementation of the ceasefire, according to accounts citing the document. Those reports said the board planned to ask the Security Council to press Hamas to accept verified decommissioning and allow a civilian transition in Gaza. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) ### What happens next at the United Nations? May 21 is the next formal checkpoint. Human Rights Watch said the Board of Peace would brief the U.N. Security Council on its newly issued six-month report, and Reuters-cited accounts said envoy Nickolay Mladenov was expected to deliver the update. The report is expected to cover aid access, reconstruction funding and obstacles to implementing the October 2025 ceasefire. (jpost.com) (hrw.org) (economictimes.indiatimes.com)