HAMILTON, Canada

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday welcomed the ongoing implementation of ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, describing it as a moment of "fragile hope" after months of destruction.

"The Secretary-General welcomes the continued implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza, based on the proposal by US President Donald J. Trump, including the release of Israeli hostages, and Palestinian detainees," his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement issued from Sharm el-Sheikh.

Guterres welcomed the continued implementation of the ceasefire in Gaza, including the release of Israeli and Palestinian hostages.

The UN chief also thanked governments of Qatar, Egypt, the United States and Türkiye "for their persistent mediation efforts and acknowledges the indispensable role of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in ensuring that all releases take place safely and humanely."

"With the ceasefire in effect, the people of Gaza and Israel are beginning to glimpse the fragile hope of calm after months of devastation," it added.

Guterres said "the United Nations and its partners are rapidly scaling up operations across Gaza," as "UN agencies are reaching communities in areas that were cut off for months, delivering life-saving assistance."

"These efforts mark an essential first step in stabilizing conditions and restoring basic human dignity, but the needs remain vast, and sustained access and funding are critical," the statement said.

Guterres called on all parties "to consolidate the ceasefire and transform it into lasting peace," urging regional and global actors to restart "a credible political process that can deliver the outcome of two independent, sovereign, democratic States, Israel and Palestine."

The first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect on Friday under Trump's plan to end a two-year Israeli war on the enclave. Release of Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails began on Monday after Hamas freed all 20 living Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,800 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, leaving the enclave largely uninhabitable.