The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, stated this Monday that the extension of the truce in Gaza is a “ray of hope and humanity in the midst of the darkness of war.”
“It is a ray of hope and humanity in the midst of the darkness of war. And I sincerely hope that this will allow us to further increase humanitarian aid to the suffering people of Gaza, knowing that even with this additional time, it will be impossible to meet all the needs.” dramatic needs of the population of Gaza,” he said.
Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas reached an agreement to extend the truce in the Gaza Strip for two days, the authorities of Qatar, the country mediating in the negotiations, announced today.
Hamas confirmed that the truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip, which was due to expire on Tuesday morning, would be extended until 7:00 a.m. Thursday (5:00 a.m. Lisbon time), after indicating that it was “working on a new list of hostages”. ” to be released.
In addition to welcoming the extension of the truce, Guterres also said he was “hopeful” that it would be possible to bring more caravans to Gaza to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid to the enclave.
Asked about his defense of a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern post-conflict Gaza, the UN leader stated that it is necessary to “seriously seek to make the transition happen”, but assessed that “it is still too early to know exactly how they will develop.” things”. It will happen”.
“But I think we need the Palestinian Authority to have the responsibility to govern in Gaza, in the West Bank, and to create the conditions to guarantee that the two-state solution advances and, this time, advances irreversibly,” he defended.
“Obviously, this will naturally lead to a strengthened Palestinian Authority. And I think the international community must be willing to support it,” added the former Portuguese prime minister.
The Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7 with the launch of thousands of rockets and the incursion of armed militiamen, taking more than two hundred hostages.
In response, Israel declared war on Hamas, a movement that has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007 and is classified as terrorist by the European Union and the United States, bombing several of the group’s infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and imposing a total siege. to the territory with a cut in the supply of water, fuel and electricity.
Source: TSF
