UN members welcome humanitarian pause in Gaza, call for cease-fire

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Some UN member states on Wednesday welcomed the deal between Israel and Hamas for a humanitarian pause in the Gaza Strip, but reiterated their call for cease-fire.

"Palestine welcomes the agreement for a truce reached yesterday and expresses its appreciation to all those who contributed and reaching this agreement, especially our brothers from Qatar and Egypt.

"Every 10 minutes, without bombardments, a Palestinian child is saved. Hundreds of Palestinian children will not be killed thanks to this truce," Palestine's UN envoy Riyad Mansour said at a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.

Mansour's remarks came after Israel and Hamas early Wednesday agreed on a humanitarian pause in Gaza for four days, including the release of 50 Israelis held by Hamas in exchange for 150 Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails.

He added that there should be a definitive end to the "criminal assault" on the Palestinian people.

"All those who contributed to stop in this madness must now work tirelessly to ensure a way forward that averts the resumption of this aggression," he said, adding this is the way to protect civilians, and to prevent regional spill over.

Stressing that Israel's true intention was the destruction of the Palestinian nation, Mansour said: "I repeat the Nakba has to end."

The envoy also emphasized that there is no military solution to the conflict, saying there is no peace possible in the Middle East without resolving the question of Palestine.

The death toll in the coastal territory has already crossed 14,500, most of them children and women, with more than 35,000 others injured.

Besides the destruction of thousands of civilian structures, a crippling siege has spawned the worst humanitarian crisis, putting at risk thousands of lives, especially in hospitals that have run out of fuel. ​​​​​​

- Hoping 4-day humanitarian pause to be extended

UAE's Permanent Representative to the UN, Lana Nusseibeh, said the UAE welcomes the announcement of a deal to release 50 women and children held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, and Palestinian women and children detained in Israel, as well as some additional aid to enter Gaza.

"We hope that the four-day truce announced can be extended to allow in the life-saving humanitarian relief for the Palestinians in Gaza, and the safe return of the remaining hostages there," Nusseibeh added.

She said history shows women and children are disproportionately impacted by conflict, and Gaza is no exception.

"The very high number of women and particularly children killed by this relentless bombardment is a strong indicator that international humanitarian law is being violated, and its fundamental principles of distinction and proportionality are not being respected," she stressed, warning on the "alarming rise" in both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia across the globe.

Also Addressing the session, Vassily Nebenzia, permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, said Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip have resulted in bloodshed on an "unprecedented" scale and scope in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly in Gaza.

"... there's no doubt that no humanitarian pause can change this unacceptable situation.

"An immediate cease-fire in the conflict zone is necessary. Only this will make it possible to avoid new casualties and to ensure that necessary humanitarian assistance is provided to those in need, particularly children," Nebenzia said.

Russia hopes that the deal will be strictly enforced by all parties, and will contribute to the development of further context in the interest of addressing humanitarian issues, he said, adding: "We also hope that it will be an important step towards a general de-escalation of the situation."

Meanwhile, Permanent Representative of China Zhang Jun said the international community should take immediate and responsible actions to prevent the spill over the crisis, resume the peace talk process and realize lasting peace and security in the Middle East.

Welcoming the agreement, Zhang said: "We support further diplomatic efforts so that more people held captive can be released at an early date. We hope this will create political space for dialogue and negotiation and the restoration of peace."

US Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield also welcomed the deal, and said it must be fully implemented. "While this is real cause for hope, it does not undo the devastating toll this conflict has had on women and children and on all innocent civilians in Israel, in Gaza, and the West Bank," she said.

Over the coming weeks, she said the US will work to reunite all hostages with their families.

Israel's ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said Israel will continue striving towards with goals "with full force," as soon as the pause ends.

"We will not stop until we eliminate all of Hamas' terror capabilities and ensure that they can no longer rule Gaza and threaten both Israeli civilians and the women and children of Gaza," he added.