Speaking to reporters at UN headquarters on Wednesday, Antonio Guterres praised the brokers who tried to broker the deal – Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
“His tireless commitment to finding a diplomatic solution was critical to making this deal possible,” he said.
The UN Secretary-General called on all parties concerned to uphold their commitments to ensure the full implementation of the Agreement.
To reduce suffering
Antonio Guterres said that since the start of the violence, he has called for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Emphasizing that priority must be given to alleviating the enormous suffering caused by this war, he said the United Nations stands ready to support the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and increase the continued delivery of humanitarian aid.
“It is vital that this ceasefire removes security and political barriers to aid reaching Gaza so that we can support a major increase in immediate life-saving humanitarian aid.”
He warned that the humanitarian situation was at a catastrophic level.
Allow help
The UN Secretary-General has called on all parties to facilitate the rapid, unimpeded and safe delivery of humanitarian assistance to all necessary.
The United Nations, for its part, will “do what is humanly possible while being acutely aware of the challenges and obstacles we face.”
‘Pursue broad goals’
Antonio Guterres said, “This agreement is an important first step, but we must combine all our efforts to achieve greater goals, including the preservation of the unity, integrity and integrity of the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel.”
In this regard, he emphasized, Palestinian unity is essential to achieve lasting peace and stability and a unified Palestinian regime must be given the highest priority.
“I call on all parties concerned to seize this opportunity to establish a credible political path to a better future for the Palestinians, Israelis and the wider region,” the UN chief said.
He emphasized the need to end the Israeli occupation and achieve a negotiated two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
Remember the life lost
Antonio Guterres ended his speech by paying tribute to those who died in the war, including UN staff and humanitarian workers.
Israel launched a military offensive on Gaza on 7 October 2023 following a Hamas-led attack on its territory.
That attack in Israel killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, while about 100 people are still being held hostage.
According to Gaza health officials, the Israeli offensive has killed 46,000 Palestinians so far.
Threats to UNRWA’s existence
According to UNRWA, the United Nations relief agency for Palestinian refugees, Gaza has a population of about 2 million, of which about 1.9 million are displaced. The organization is providing temporary shelter to millions of people in their schools.
The Secretary-General has repeatedly cited UNRWA as the “backbone” of relief operations in the Gaza Strip.
The agency suffered heavy losses in the war as 265 of its employees were killed and its installations attacked.
The cease-fire announcement comes as two Israeli laws are set to take effect within weeks aimed at ending UNRWA’s operations in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told a meeting on the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians in Oslo on Tuesday that “the collapse of the agency – whether immediate or delayed, will add to the enormous suffering in Gaza.”