Guterres hails Gaza ceasefire deal as ‘critical first step’

The UN Secretary-General has welcomed Wednesday’s announcement of a deal to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza following 15 months of war. 

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters, António Guterres commended mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States for their dedicated efforts in brokering the agreement.

“Their unwavering commitment to finding a diplomatic solution has been critical in achieving this breakthrough,” he said.

He called on all relevant parties to uphold their commitments to ensure that the deal is fully implemented.

Ease the suffering

Mr. Guterres noted that from the outset of the violence, he has called for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. 

Stressing that the priority must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by the conflict, he said the UN stands ready to support the implementation of the deal and scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief.

“It is imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza so that we can support a major increase in urgent lifesaving humanitarian support," he said, warning that “the humanitarian situation is at catastrophic levels."

Allow aid in

 The Secretary-General called on all parties to facilitate the rapid, unhindered, and safe humanitarian relief for all civilians in need. 

For its part, the UN “will do whatever is humanly possible, aware of the serious challenges and constraints that we will be facing”.  He expects that these efforts will be matched by humanitarian organizations, the private sector and bilateral initiatives.

‘Advance broader goals’

 “This deal is a critical first step, but we must mobilize all efforts to also advance broader goals, including the preservation of the unity, contiguity, and integrity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” he said.

Palestinian unity is essential for achieving lasting peace and stability, and he emphasized that unified Palestinian governance must remain a top priority. 

“I urge the parties and all relevant partners to seize this opportunity to establish a credible political path to a better future for Palestinians, Israelis, and the broader region,” he continued.

He highlighted the need to end the occupation and achieve a negotiated two-State solution between Israelis and Palestinians.

Remember lives lost

Before concluding his remarks, Mr. Guterres paid tribute to the civilians who have lost their lives in the conflict, including UN personnel and humanitarian workers. 

The war in Gaza recently entered a third year.

Israel launched the military campaign following the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on its territory. Some 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken as hostages, with around 100 still being held.

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began, according to Gaza’s health authorities. 

UNRWA threat looms

Gaza has a population of just over two million, and 1.9 million have been displaced, according to the UN Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, which is housing hundreds of thousands in its schools-turned-shelters.

Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini welcomed the ceasfire announcement in a post on social media, noting that “many have been hoping for this moment for the past 15 months.”

"What’s needed is rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies to respond to the tremendous suffering caused by this war,” he wrote.

The Secretary-General has repeatedly referred to UNRWA as the “backbone” of relief efforts in Gaza. The agency has suffered immense losses as 265 staff members have been killed and its facilities have come under attack.

The ceasefire announcement comes as two Israeli laws aimed at ending UNRWA ‘s operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are due to take effect in mere weeks.

“The agency’s collapse – whether immediate or gradual – will only compound the immense suffering in Gaza,” Mr. Lazzarini said earlier on Tuesday at a meeting in Oslo focused on the two-State solution.

The killing ‘must stop’

Officials from across the UN system have also welcomed the news on Gaza, where the end of war has been long overdue, according to the President of the General Assembly, Philémon Yang.

“The killing and maiming of civilians must stop. All the remaining hostages must be released,” his Spokesperson said in a statement.

“Humanitarian organizations must immediately be given full, safe and unhindered access to deliver badly needed assistance in large scale to the civilian population in Gaza.”

Hope and humanitarian aid

For the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, the agreement offers much-needed hope to millions whose lives have been devastated by the conflict.

“In preparation, humanitarian agencies have been mobilizing supplies to scale up aid delivery across Gaza”, Tom Fletcher said in a statement from Ukraine, where the UN is assisting millions impacted by Russia’s full-scale invasion.

 “We will do our utmost to respond with the ambition, creativity, and urgency this moment demands, despite the significant security and political challenges to our work.”

Remove all barriers

“We urge the Security Council to use its collective voice and weight to insist the ceasefire is sustained, international law respected, and that obstacles to saving lives are removed,” the UN relief chief added.

 “We urge Member States to ensure that our humanitarian operations are funded to meet the overwhelming needs. And we call for accountability for the atrocities committed.”

UN at the ready

The top humanitarian official in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Muhannad Hadi, said the UN stands ready to support the agreement and maximize the scale-up of aid as best it can,

“It is imperative that this deal allows a significant increase in aid delivery across Gaza so that we and our partners can provide aid to the best of our ability,” he stressed.

Childhood under attack

The head of UN children’s agency UNICEF, Catherine Russell, said the ceasefire deal is “long overdue” – both for the children and families of Gaza who have endured more than a year of bombardment, and for the hostages and their families in Israel who have suffered so much.

She outlined the war’s “horrific toll” on Gaza’s children, with at least 14,500 dead and thousands more injured. Furthermore, an estimated 17,000 boys and girls are unaccompanied or separated from their parents, and nearly one million have been displaced from their homes,

Call for accountability

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said he was “hugely relieved by the news of the first phase of a ceasefire in Gaza, and it is imperative that it now holds.”

He emphasized the need to pursue accountability and justice for the grave violations and abuses that have been committed.

“Those responsible for the heinous acts of 7 October, the subsequent unlawful killings of civilians across Gaza, and for all other crimes under international law must be held to account,” he said.

Furthermore, the rights of victims to full reparations must be upheld, he added, noting that “there is no true way forward without honest truth-telling and accountability on all sides.”