GENEVA
UN agencies welcomed a cease-fire deal Wednesday between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas after 466 days of intense conflict in Gaza while emphasizing the need for long-term peace and accountability.
Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman announced the success of mediators in reaching a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip, noting that its implementation will begin this Sunday.
The UN human rights chief hailed the first phase of the cease-fire, saying it comes with the promise of "huge relief after so much unbearable pain and misery over the past 15 months."
"I am hugely relieved by the news of the first phase of a cease-fire in Gaza, and it is imperative that it now holds,” Volker Turk said in a statement. “I urge parties to the conflict and all countries with influence to do everything in their power to ensure the success of the next stages of the cease-fire, including the release of all hostages, and to end the war in its entirety.”
He stressed the utmost urgency of saving the lives of those desperately in need throughout Gaza – which has been laid to waste by relentless Israeli bombing and combat, particularly in the north.
"Food, water, medicine, shelter and protection are the top priorities. We have no time to lose," he stressed.
Turk also emphasized the need to pursue accountability and justice for the grave violations and abuses which 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, adding the right of victims to full reparations must be upheld.
He also urged Israel to end its "illegal continued presence" in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as the International Court of Justice has made clear, and make an internationally agreed two-state solution a reality.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that peace is the "best medicine," describing the cease-fire deal as "encouraging."
"Too many lives have been lost and too many families have suffered. We hope all parties will respect the deal and work towards lasting peace," Tedros said on X. "Health needs in Gaza remain enormous."
He emphasized that the WHO is ready to scale up its support alongside partners.
- 'Much needed respite for people of Gaza'
Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), hailed the agreement by saying: "Many have been hoping for this moment for the past 15 months."
"This agreement will finally bring much needed respite for the people of Gaza & the release of hostages," Lazzarini said on X.
"What’s needed is rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies to respond to the tremendous suffering caused by this war."
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also welcomed the deal, saying it is "long overdue for the children and families of Gaza who have endured more than a year of bombardment and deprivation, and for the hostages in Gaza and their families in Israel who have suffered so much."
"The scale of humanitarian needs is enormous, and UNICEF and partners are ready to scale up our response. The cease-fire must, finally, afford humanitarian actors the opportunity to safely roll out the massive response inside the Gaza Strip that is so desperately needed," it said in a statement.
This includes unimpeded access to reach all children and families with essential food and nutrition, health care and psychosocial support, clean water and sanitation, education and learning as well as cash assistance and the resumption of commercial trucking operations, it added.
“With the collapse of essential services across Gaza, we must act urgently to save lives and help children recover," it underscored.
In addition, UNICEF urged the parties to urgently forge a lasting political resolution that prioritizes the rights and well-being of this and future generations of children.
“The war in Gaza has already cost children so much. We must act now and work together for a better future for all children," it said.
- Cease-fire should be sustained
The cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas offers much-needed hope to millions of people whose lives have been devastated by this conflict, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said in a statement.
"I welcome this agreement and urge the parties to uphold it," Fletcher said.
"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," he said.
"To help us save lives, we urge all parties to adhere fully to international humanitarian law. This means protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure; allowing aid workers safe, unfettered access to people in need whoever and wherever they are; and removing all obstacles to the entry of essential aid. It will also be critical to enable the entry of commercial supplies."
He also called on the UN Security Council "to use its collective voice and weight to insist the cease-fire is sustained, international law respected, and that obstacles to saving lives are removed."
Additionally, he urged member states to “ensure that our humanitarian operations are funded to meet the overwhelming needs.”
"And we call for accountability for the atrocities committed," he said, underlining that this is "a moment of hope and opportunity."
World Food Program Executive Director Cindy McCain pointed to the urgency of humanitarian aid delivery.
"Promising news coming out of Gaza," McCain said.
"The WFP has life-saving assistance ready at the borders to help feed 1M+ acutely hungry Palestinians, but we need: guaranteed safety of humanitarians, safe movement of food across all border crossings, and more funding to deliver at scale," she added.
- ICRC ready to help implement cease-fire deal
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expressed its readiness to support the implementation of a critical agreement to reunite families across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Speaking in Jerusalem during a five-day visit to the region, ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric emphasized the organization’s commitment to facilitating the safe release of hostages and detainees as outlined in the cease-fire agreement.
"We are ready to facilitate any release operation as agreed by the parties so that hostages and detainees can return home. We are also prepared to massively scale up our humanitarian response in Gaza, where the situation demands it," Spoljaric said.
"This will require continuous effort from the parties to ensure that our teams can carry out their work safely and effectively."
Spoljaric highlighted the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, noting that the suffering endured by both Palestinians and Israelis had reached unimaginable levels.
"The suffering must end. Civilians in Gaza need protection and humanitarian aid. The hostages need to come home. This is only possible with a political commitment from all sides to put humanity first and respect the rules of war," she added.
"Civilian lives must be protected and their needs prioritized. The coming days are critical, and we are counting on the parties to hold to their commitments," she said.
Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) welcomed the announcement of a cease-fire in Gaza and called on all parties to prioritize civilian safety.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, IOM noted in a statement, has reached catastrophic levels, with destroyed hospitals, food shortages and escalating hunger pushing the region to the brink of famine.
"IOM calls on all parties to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access. IOM, in coordination with its partners, stands ready to immediately scale up aid delivery, with nearly 4 million pre-positioned shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) items, as well as other essentials, ready for deployment from Jordan and Egypt to the most affected populations," the agency said.
