UN chief urges Israel, Hamas to 'uphold their commitments' in Gaza cease-fire deal

​​​​​​​By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed a recently announced cease-fire deal on the Gaza Strip, urging all parties to "uphold their commitments."

"I welcome the announcement of a deal to secure a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza," Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York, commending Egypt, Qatar and the US for their diplomatic efforts toward reaching a deal.

Guterres urged "all relevant parties to uphold their commitments and ensure that this deal is fully implemented," and stressed that "our priority now must be to ease the tremendous suffering caused by this conflict."

Expressing the UN's readiness to provide support for the deal's implementation, he said: "It is imperative that this cease-fire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza so that we can support a major increase in urgent life-saving humanitarian support."

Noting the "catastrophic levels" of the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Guterres urged all parties to provide "rapid and injured and safe humanitarian relief for all civilians in need."

Guterres further stressed that the deal is "a critical first step" toward reaching broader goals in the conflict.

"We must mobilize all efforts to also advance broader goals, including the preservation of the unity, contiguity and integrity of the occupied Palestinian territory," he said.

He emphasized the importance of "unified Palestinian governance" for lasting peace and stability and urged all to seize the deal as an opportunity for a political process.

"I urge the parties and all relevant partners to seize this opportunity to establish a credible political pass to a better future for Palestinians, Israelis and the broader region, ending the occupation and achieving a negotiated two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security, in line with international law," he said.