ISTANBUL 

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) on Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after two years of devastating war.

“Two years of war in Gaza. Two years too long,” the agency said through the US social media company X.

It stressed the necessity of releasing all Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees and lifting the Israeli siege to provide “a standard flow of humanitarian aid and commercial supplies” under a UN mechanism.

“It’s time for a ceasefire now,” the agency said.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli military has killed over 67,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave all but uninhabitable and has led to mass displacement, starvation, and the proliferation of disease.

Israeli and Hamas delegations started indirect negotiations in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to discuss US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan that calls for the release of Israeli captives within 72 hours of Israel’s approval, a ceasefire, and the disarmament of Hamas.