By Servet Gunerigok
WASHINGTON (AA) - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki demanded a permanent cease-fire on Wednesday and said life in Gaza must prevail against those who seek to destroy it.
Al-Maliki thanked Qatar and Egypt for their efforts that led to a truce between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, as he addressed a UN Security Council session on the Gaza conflict.
"But the truce must become a cease-fire -- a permanent cease-fire. The massacres cannot be allowed to resume. This is not a war. This is a carnage that nothing and no one can justify. It must be brought to an end," he said.
Al-Maliki said the dire needs of residents in Gaza must be addressed throughout the enclave "without further delay and constraints."
He said residents must be allowed to go back to their homes and start rebuilding their lives, and the siege imposed by Israel must be lifted.
The foreign minister said Gaza's name cannot be erased from history.
"Our people cannot be uprooted from it. There is no Palestine without Gaza ... Free Palestine is the only path to peace," he said.
Qatar announced an agreement late Monday to extend an initial four-day pause for two more days, under which further prisoner exchanges will be carried out.
Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
It has since killed over 15,000 people, including 6,150 children and 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.
The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.