UN Chief Welcomes Gaza Ceasefire, Urges Swift Action

Secretary-General António Guterres speaks to the press at the UN Headquarters, in New York.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged Israel and Hamas to “fully abide” by the ceasefire and hostage release deal, calling it a “desperately needed breakthrough” that should mark “the beginning of the end of this devastating war.”

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday, Mr Guterres welcomed the agreement, based on a proposal by United States President Donald Trump, and said it must be “fully implemented.”

“We have all waited far too long for this moment. Now we must make it truly count,” he said. “All hostages must be released in a dignified manner. A permanent ceasefire must be secured. The bloodshed must stop once and for all.”

According to media reports, the Israeli cabinet is expected to endorse the internationally brokered agreement on Thursday. A ceasefire is due to begin in Gaza within 24 hours of that endorsement. The deal reportedly includes a 72-hour window during which Hamas must release the remaining hostages, both alive and deceased.

Mr Guterres said the UN and its partners were ready to “move now,” with teams and supplies already in place to scale up food, water, medical and shelter assistance inside Gaza.

“To turn this ceasefire into real progress, we need more than the silencing of the guns,” he added, stressing the need for “full, safe and sustained access for humanitarian workers” and sufficient funding for recovery efforts.

The UN chief urged all parties to seize the opportunity for a “credible political path forward” toward ending the occupation and achieving a two-State solution for Israel and Palestine.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called the announcement “extremely significant” and urged all States to ensure the ceasefire is implemented in good faith.

“All action going forward must be guided by the immediate goals of ending the killing, starvation and destruction,” he said from Geneva.

Mr Türk also called for a “comprehensive process of transitional justice” to ensure accountability for gross human rights violations, warning that peace would remain fragile without it.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency stood ready to support Gaza’s shattered health system.

“The best medicine is peace,” he said, urging respect for the agreement “so the suffering of all civilians finally ends.”

World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Cindy McCain said her agency was “on the ground ready to scale up operations, but we need to move now – there is no time to waste.”

Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN’s Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA), called the deal “a huge relief,” noting that enough food is ready to be trucked into Gaza to feed the entire population for three months.

“There are over 660,000 children eagerly waiting to go back to school,” he said. “UNRWA teachers stand ready to help them rebuild their lives.”