As we enter 2026, the global news cycle has moved with its characteristic and often cruel velocity. The headlines are dominated by domestic debates over ICE, the geopolitical maneuvers surrounding Greenland, and the surge of international protests. Yet, beneath the noise of these newer crises, a silence has settled over the Gaza Strip—a silence that must not be mistaken for peace.
The “Gaza issue” is far from resolved. Despite the fragile ceasefire that took hold in late 2025, the reality on the ground remains a testament to human suffering and political stagnation. To forget Gaza now is to abandon millions to a cycle of poverty, rubble, and “managed” violence that offers no path toward a dignified future.
The Reality Behind the Silence
While the world’s attention has shifted, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has only morphed, not ended. As of January 2026, medical sources report that the death toll since October 2023 has surpassed 71,000, with tens of thousands more injured or missing under the debris.
The ceasefire has not meant the end of hardship. Winter has brought a new enemy: hypothermia. Infants are dying in hospitals due to the severe cold and the lack of basic heating infrastructure. The “Yellow Line”—a series of Israeli-enforced barriers—continues to bisect the territory, restricting the movement of food, fuel, and medical supplies.
- Infrastructure: Over 60 million tons of rubble still litter the landscape, a cleanup task estimated to take nearly a decade.
- Health: Only a handful of hospitals are partially functional, struggling to treat a population where acute malnutrition and disease are rampant.
- Education: An entire generation of children has now spent over two years out of school, their futures buried under the same rubble as their homes.
The Power of the United Nations
The current impasse highlights a fundamental flaw in the international order: the lack of enforcement power within the United Nations. For decades, the UN has been the primary provider of aid through agencies like UNRWA, yet it remains politically hamstrung.
To solve the Gaza crisis, the UN must be empowered beyond just humanitarian distribution. It requires:
- Enforcement of Resolutions: Security Council resolutions often go ignored because there is no mechanism to enforce them without the consensus of the Great Powers, which is rarely achieved.
- Protective Mandates: The UN needs the authority to ensure the safety of aid corridors and civilian zones without being subject to the arbitrary “coordination” or vetoes of the combatants.
- Transitional Administration: As seen with the newly proposed “Board of Peace,” there is a desperate need for an independent, international body that can oversee reconstruction without being perceived as an extension of one side’s military strategy.
The Necessity of the Two-State Solution
Ultimately, Gaza cannot be “fixed” in isolation. It is part of a broader Palestinian struggle that requires a definitive political end-game: the Two-State Solution.
Many argue that the two-state solution is a “zombie policy”—dead, but still walking. However, the alternative is a permanent state of occupation and apartheid that ensures perpetual war. A sovereign Palestinian state, encompassing both Gaza and the West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital, remains the only viable framework for lasting peace. This is not just about drawing lines on a map; it is about providing the Palestinian people with the right to self-determination, a national economy, and the dignity of a passport.
Conclusion: A Call to Persistence
We cannot allow Gaza to become a “forgotten conflict.” When the news moves on, the accountability for human rights disappears. We must demand that our leaders do not just “manage” the crisis with occasional aid shipments, but address the root causes of the occupation.
The persistence of the Gaza issue is a mirror reflecting the conscience of the international community. If we allow it to fade into the background while we debate Greenland or domestic policy, we are complicit in the normalization of a humanitarian disaster.