Climate Adam: Climate Scientists Were Wrong… That’s a good thing






This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

A senior Board of Peace official said Thursday that there is “no recovery” in Gaza despite some progress under a ceasefire deal, Anadolu reports.
Nickolay Mladenov, high representative for Gaza, told the UN Security Council that mass destruction, displacement and humanitarian challenges continue to define conditions on the ground.
“When I last appeared before you, the framework for the decommissioning of weapons in Gaza had been agreed among the guarantors and presented to the parties, and I told you the engagement was serious. The first written report on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 2803 (2025) of the Board of Peace is now before you,” he said.
Noting that there had been limited but important improvements since the ceasefire took hold, he said, “The guns have largely fallen silent across Gaza for the first time in two years. Every hostage has been returned to their family.”
“The number of people receiving food assistance has risen from 400,000 to roughly 2 million. None of this was inevitable. None of it should be taken for granted,” he added.
Warning against describing the situation as a recovery, Mladenov said, “I will not stand before this Council and call this recovery, because there is no recovery.”
He described the scale of destruction as unprecedented, noting widespread infrastructure collapse across the enclave.
READ: UN official says renewed Gaza war would have ‘disastrous consequences’ for civilians
“Some 70 million tons of rubble lie where homes and schools and hospitals used to stand, much of it mixed with unexploded ordnance,” he noted.
Mladenov said more than 1 million people remain without permanent shelter and are living in tents or damaged buildings.
At the same time, unemployment has reached extreme levels, and basic services remain severely degraded, he said.
Although the ceasefire is largely holding, he said it is “holding in a way that is not perfect. There are daily violations.”
He added that continued restrictions and delays are undermining humanitarian access and confidence in the process, stressing that civilians bear the cost of the delay in Gaza.
US deputy UN envoy Tammy Bruce welcomed the report by the Board of Peace. “The United States does have the pleasure of applauding the accomplishments of the Board of Peace over the recent months and the steps toward establishing the Office of the High Representative, the International Stabilization Force, and the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza,” she said.
“As we have just heard today, there are still significant challenges to overcome in the reconstruction and rebuilding of Gaza and securing enduring safety, stability, and prosperity,” said Bruce, explaining that challenges can be overcome by working together.
“A future of peace, freedom, personal and economic in the Middle East is in all of our interests. We must work together to make it happen. The United States will continue to work with Israel, its neighbors, and our partners on the Board of Peace to achieve that goal,” she added.
READ: Trump’s Gaza ‘peace’ board in turmoil as funding pledges fail to materialise
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.



This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The UN reported on Thursday at least 49 illegal Israeli occupier attacks across the West Bank in a single week.
Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a news conference that between May 12 and 18, Israeli occupier attacks “caused casualties or damage, including a rise in arson attacks against homes, farmland, vehicles and a mosque.”
“With this, over 870 settler attacks across more than 220 communities have caused casualties or property damage this year alone,” he said.
Dujarric addressed an Israeli High Court ruling affecting international non-governmental organizations operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stressing that “international NGOs are indispensable to the overall humanitarian operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” and that “their work must and needs to be facilitated.”
He said humanitarians are continuing to deliver assistance in Gaza, “despite the impediments,” that have been briefed about almost daily, while warning that “essential supplies must be allowed into Gaza urgently, to avoid the risk of equipment collapsing.”
READ: Israeli occupiers establish new illegal settlement outpost in West Bank’s Hebron
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.



This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

An analysis by satellite imagery company Soar has revealed the extent of damage caused to Israeli military bases during March by Iranian strikes and attacks by Hezbollah.
According to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, an analysis of satellite images published by Soar showed damage to several Israeli military bases across the country following the latest round of fighting, before a ceasefire came into effect last month.
Images from the Sentinel-2 satellite showed that the Ramat David Airbase was damaged in two areas during the war with Iran.
The images indicated that one of the damaged areas appeared to be used for support vehicles and equipment, while the second area was used for refuelling and maintenance of fighter jets.
The images also showed a sudden change to the ground surface in March near a building inside the Mishar Base, which belongs to Unit 8200 near Safed.
According to Soar’s analysis, the change in the ground surface suggests a possible strike on the base between 5 and 10 March.
The images also showed damage at a defensive position inside the Nevatim Airbase. The analysis said the damage was clearly visible at a small defensive site inside the base on 25 March.
READ: Israel economy shrinks 3.3% due to war with Iran
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.



This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

A senior UN official said Thursday that a return to full-scale war in the Gaza Strip would have “disastrous consequences” for civilians, while cautioning that worsening violence and illegal Israeli settlement expansion across the occupied Palestinian territory are deepening instability, Anadolu reports.
“As I brief you today, the situation across the Occupied Palestinian Territory is increasingly precarious,” Ramiz Alakbarov, UN deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said at a UN Security Council session to discuss the latest report of the Board of Peace for Gaza.
He said tensions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, continue to intensify as “settlement expansion, settler-related violence, and incitement continue to drive tensions.”
Turning to Gaza, Alakbarov said momentum generated by the ceasefire has weakened amid delays in implementing UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2803 and continued violence.
“In Gaza, delays in the implementation of UNSCR 2803, alongside daily violence and a continuing humanitarian crisis, have replaced the early momentum following the ceasefire,” he said.
As discussions continue advancing to the second phase of the ceasefire deal, he warned against growing calls for renewed hostilities.
“As talks on advancing to Phase II of the ceasefire continue, calls are emerging in some circles for a resumption of widespread hostilities. This would have disastrous consequences for the population of Gaza,” he said. “Let me be clear: the people of Gaza cannot take more war. This scenario must be avoided at all costs.”
READ: Italy requests EU to sanction Israeli minister Ben-Gvir over treatment of Gaza flotilla activists
Alakbarov emphasized that the implementation of Resolution 2803 remains urgent. “The implementation of Resolution 2803 cannot wait. All elements of the Comprehensive Plan are interconnected and must be implemented in full.”
He said civilians in Gaza continue to face uncertainty as Israeli strikes occur “on a nearly daily basis, killing dozens.”
Despite limited improvements, humanitarian conditions remain severe, according to Alakbarov.
“The reopening of Zikim crossing in mid-April and a limited increase in the volume of aid are welcome improvements. However, humanitarian operations remain heavily constrained by limited operational crossings, restrictions on critical humanitarian items that Israel considers ‘dual-use,’” he said.
Alakbarov said he witnessed devastation and resilience among Palestinians during a recent visit to Gaza.
Addressing the occupied West Bank, Alakbarov said Israeli authorities advanced plans for more than 640 housing units in Area C and over 1,620 units in the settlement of Pisgat Zeev in East Jerusalem during the reporting period.
He also said five Palestinians, including two children, were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, while 156 others, including 20 children, were injured by Israeli forces or Israeli occupiers.
“Throughout the West Bank, the frequency and severity of settler attacks have significantly increased in 2026, with some 220 Palestinian communities having faced attacks, which are increasingly leading to the displacement of entire communities,” he said.
“We cannot ignore the current alarming trends or their dire implications for Palestinians, Israelis, and the entire region. This is the moment to take urgent steps to reverse these dangerous dynamics,” he added.
READ: Trump’s Gaza ‘peace’ board in turmoil as funding pledges fail to materialise
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.


