UN chief welcomes transition to phase 2 of Trump's Gaza plan

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN's top official on Thursday welcomed the US' announcement of the transition to phase two of the Gaza ceasefire plan, urging "unimpeded" flow of humanitarian aid.

"In Gaza, I welcome the start of phase two of the ceasefire announced by the US, and reiterate that humanitarian aid must flow unimpeded, the ceasefire must be implemented in full," Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the UN General Assembly, where he shared his priorities for 2026.

Guterres stressed that "a way must be cleared to an irreversible path to a two-state solution in accordance with international law."

On Wednesday, US envoy Steve Witkoff announced that the second phase of the ceasefire agreement had begun as part of President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Gaza conflict.

Witkoff said the second phase would establish a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and launch reconstruction efforts in the enclave, where nearly two years of Israel’s genocidal war have left much of it in ruins.