‘I commend Egypt and Qatar for the efforts carried out, in close coordination with the UN, to help restore calm to Gaza and Israel’
UNITED NATIONS — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday welcomed the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, following 11 days of escalating tension between the two sides on the Gaza Strip.
“I welcome the ceasefire between Gaza and Israel, after 11 days of deadly hostilities,” Guterres told reporters a few minutes before the ceasefire took effect at 2 a.m. on Friday.
According to the latest media reports, a total of 232 Palestinians, including more than 60 children, and at least 12 Israelis, have been killed since violence erupted near the Gaza border on May 10.
Guterres extended his deepest condolences to all the victims of the violence, and their loved ones, across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.
“I commend Egypt and Qatar for the efforts carried out, in close coordination with the UN, to help restore calm to Gaza and Israel,” he said, calling on all sides to observe the ceasefire.
Describing Gaza as an “integral part of the future Palestinian state”, he said no effort should be spared to bring about “real national reconciliation that ends the division”.
Late Thursday night, Israel and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, accepted an Egyptian-brokered deal to cease fighting at 2 am (Friday local time) to end the 11-day bloodshed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Israeli security cabinet approved the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Xinhua reported.
The decision came after a 2.5-hour discussion and was “unanimously” approved by the ministers, according to the office’s statement.
“The political echelon emphasizes that the reality on the ground will determine the continuation of the military campaign,” the statement noted.
Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh was informed of the timing of the truce by Egypt, Hamas spokesman in Gaza Hazem Qassem said.
The Egyptian mediator informed Hamas that Israel had agreed to a mutual ceasefire, “and therefore we also agreed to the ceasefire,” a Hamas source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
“We have obtained guarantees from the mediators that the aggression on Gaza will stop,” Hamas leader in Lebanon Osama Hamdan told the news website Al Resala.
Taher Al-Nouno, the media advisor of Haniyeh in Gaza, said the Palestinian armed resistance will be committed to the agreement as long as the Israeli side is.
Egypt, which has been leading the international mediation to end the Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed, will send two security delegations to Israel and Palestine to ensure the implementation of the truce, Egypt’s official MENA news agency reported Thursday.
“Cairo will send two security delegations to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories to follow up the implementation procedures,” the report said. — IANS
