'Last chance' for two-state solution to Palestinian-Israeli conflict, warns UN envoy

Sigrid Kaag calls on Hamas and Israel to fully honour commitments to ceasefire deal and conclude negotiations for second phase

Palestinians on the rubble of their home, which was levelled by an Israeli air strike, in Gaza city on February 24. AP

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A top UN envoy has warned that the opportunity for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is rapidly diminishing and that a resumption of hostilities in Gaza “must be avoided at all costs”.

Sigrid Kaag, the UN special co-ordinator for the Middle East peace process and senior humanitarian and reconstruction co-ordinator for Gaza, told the Security Council that the region is “undergoing rapid transformation”.

“Its scope and impact remain uncertain but it also presents a historic opportunity,” she said. “The people of the region can emerge from this period with peace, security and dignity. However, this may be our last chance to achieve the two-state solution.”

Ms Kaag called on Hamas and Israel to fully honour their commitments to the ceasefire deal and conclude negotiations for the second phase.

Noa Argamani, an Israeli who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023 during the Nova Music Festival, spoke before the 15-member UN body, pleading for the ceasefire to continue.

Omer Shem Tov, Eliya Cohen and Omer Wenkert, hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, are released as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip. Reuters

Mr Wenkert is released. Reuters

Mr Tov, Mr Cohen and Mr Wenkert are brought out on stage by masked, armed Hamas fighters. Photo: Screengrab

Mr Tov, 22, kisses one of the armed fighters on the head. Reuters

Israeli soldiers stand guard as the hostages board a helicopter. Reuters

Israeli hostages Avera Mengistu and Tal Shoham are released by Hamas in Rafah. Reuters

A woman watches the release in Gaza of hostages, on a screen at the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. AFP

Hamas fighters line a street in the Nuseirat refugee camp. AFP

Hamas fighters secure the site at Nuseirat refugee camp where some of the Israeli hostages will be handed over. AFP

Relatives and friends wait for the release of Omer Shem Tov, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival party in Israel. Reuters

People watch a TV broadcast of the release, in Tel Aviv. Reuters

People gather at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, ahead of the scheduled release of six hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. EPA

People gather at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv. AFP

“I need to make sure that the world knows that: the deal must go on in full … completely, in all the stages,” Ms Argamani stressed.

The Israeli military rescued her in June after eight months of captivity in Gaza. Her partner, Avinatan Or, who was kidnapped alongside Ms Argamani, remains captive but is due for release in the second stage of the ceasefire agreement.

Since the ceasefire took effect on January 19, Israel and Hamas have lodged accusations against each other over breaches of the agreement. Hamas claims that Israel has blocked the delivery of critical humanitarian supplies, while Israel has criticised Hamas for managing the release of hostages in what it calls degrading public ceremonies.

As the initial phase of the ceasefire nears its conclusion on Saturday, negotiators have yet to finalise next steps.

Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator and current president of a non-profit policy institute focused on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, has highlighted the potential for ending Hamas's governance in Gaza.

Speaking to the Security Council, Mr Levy said no group would negotiate its own dissolution without being militarily defeated or without addressing the fundamental causes of the conflict.

“Hamas has not been defeated and there will be resistance as long as there is the structural violence of occupation and apartheid – it is that simple,” he said.

Mr Levy also spoke of the critical need for establishing a sustainable governance model for the occupied Palestinian territories, which would support a viable two-state solution. He strongly condemned any state's endorsement or encouragement of the unlawful forced displacement of Palestinians.

Daniel Levy decries Palestinian children's deaths during speech at UN

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“Nothing can be more dangerous for either peoples than the notion that one people will be removed from the land. We know the circumstances under which many Jews came to this area,” Mr Levy said.

Last month, President Donald Trump proposed a vision for Gaza's future, in which the US might “take over” the enclave. He suggested that neighbouring nations such as Egypt and Jordan should absorb displaced Palestinians, who would be barred from returning.

Dorothy Shea, the US interim charge d’affaires at the UN, echoed Mr Trump's call for a fresh approach to the conflict.

“The future of Gaza must look different. We cannot rely on the tired ideas of the past and expect better results,” Ms Shea said. “Bold thinking is needed to avoid ending up in the exact same place.”