GENEVA 

The UN human rights chief on Thursday urged all states to work collectively to ensure that the Gaza ceasefire plan is implemented "in good faith."

"All action going forward must be guided by the immediate goals of ending the killing, starvation and destruction, and ensuring the safe and dignified return of hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians," Volker Turk said in a statement.

He warned that "the protection and humanitarian needs in Gaza are massive," stressing that access for aid, humanitarian workers, international journalists, and rights monitors is "crucial."

"This momentum can and should, with continuing negotiations and a sustained focus on peace, lead to a permanent cessation of hostilities," he said, adding that the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, must also be clearly kept in mind.

As part of recovery, Turk called for a process of transitional justice with accountability for serious rights and humanitarian law violations. He also urged an end to "the toxic rhetoric of war and hatred."

"Fulfilling the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and ensuring Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace and security, must remain the ultimate goal of the process," he said.

The remarks came after a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas early Thursday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, based on a 20-point plan presented by US President Donald Trump.

The first phase of the plan calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and prisoners, gradual Israeli withdrawal from an agreed upon line in Gaza, and the entry of humanitarian aid.

The deal followed days of negotiations in the Red Sea city, with senior officials from Qatar, Türkiye, Egypt, and the US joining the delegations.

The second phase calls for the establishment of a new governing mechanism in Gaza without Hamas’ participation, the formation of a security force comprising Palestinians and troops from Arab and Islamic countries, and the disarmament of Hamas. It also stipulates Arab and Islamic funding for the new administration and the reconstruction of the Strip, with limited participation from the Palestinian Authority.

Arab and Muslim counties have, by and large, welcomed the plan, but some officials have also said that many details in it need discussion and negotiations to be fully implemented.