West Bank24 August, 20262 min read
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese Urges International Protection Presence in Gaza, West Bank
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UN Special Rapporteur calls for immediate international protection presence in Gaza and West Bank. Albanese urges deployment based on ICJ ruling and calls on states to act.
Albanese seeks protection force
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese called Sunday for an “international protection presence” in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, saying such a deployment was “absolutely urgent.” Albanese wrote on the US social media platform X that “Third states have an obligation, per the ICJ, to act to end Israel’s unlawful occupation,” tying her call to a July 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice.
She also questioned whether UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ diplomatic efforts and the General Assembly’s “Uniting for Peace” mechanism could overcome the Security Council’s deadlock on the conflict. Anadolu Ajansı reported that the Security Council has repeatedly been unable to take action on Gaza and the West Bank amid vetoes by the US.
Escalating settler attacks
Multiple outlets said Albanese’s call came as attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank were escalating, with accusations that the Israeli occupation army was unable to stop them despite declaring several areas as “closed military zones.” وكالة صدى نيوز cited the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission’s monitoring, saying the first eight months of 2026 recorded the highest annual toll of Palestinians martyred due to attacks by Israeli settlers since data monitoring began in 2019.
That same outlet reported that the commission said 25 Palestinians were martyred due to settler attacks during the first eight months of this year. It added that the toll for the same period in 2026 surpassed the total number of Palestinians martyred due to settler attacks throughout 2025 by approximately 79%, and that the commission stated 87 Palestinians were martyred between the beginning of 2019 and August 21, 2026.
UNSC deadlock and stakes
Anadolu Ajansı reported that Albanese questioned whether “Uniting for Peace” could overcome the Security Council’s deadlock on the conflict, noting the council’s repeated inability to act on Gaza and the West Bank amid vetoes by the US. Breakingthenews.net similarly framed Albanese’s argument as a challenge to Security Council paralysis, asking: “Will UNSG's [United Nations Secretary-General] good offices and UNGA [United Nations General Assembly] (Uniting4Peace) help overcome the UNSC [United Nations Security Council] paralysis?”
“Will UNSG's [United Nations Secretary-General] good offices and UNGA [United Nations General Assembly] (Uniting4Peace) help overcome the UNSC [United Nations Security Council] paralysis?”
Al Jazeera Net said the same pattern of escalation was reflected in figures attributed to an Israeli NGO, stating that it reported 25 Palestinians were martyred due to settler attacks during the eight months of the current year. The outlet further stated that it reported 87 Palestinians were martyred due to settler attacks between early 2019 and August 21, 2026, placing the call for an international protection force against a backdrop of sustained losses.