UPDATE - UN chief welcomes extension of humanitarian pause in Gaza

ADDS MORE REMARKS BY UN CHIEF AND BACKGROUND; REVISES DECK; OTHER EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday welcomed news of an extension of the humanitarian pause in Gaza for two more days.

"I would say it's a glimpse of hope and humanity in the middle of the darkness of war," Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

"And I strongly hope that this will enable us to increase even more, the humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza that is suffering so much ... knowing that even with that additional amount of time it will be impossible to satisfy all the dramatic needs of the population in Gaza," he added.

His remarks came right after Qatar announced the extension for two more days of the temporary humanitarian pause in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Hamas confirmed the news, while confirmation from Israel is still being awaited.

Guterres also said that he is "very hopeful" that another crossing can be opened to allow humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, which the pause was mean to facilitate.

He also said the Palestinian Authority is needed to rule in both Gaza and the West Bank responsibly and to create the conditions to make sure a two-state solution moves forward.

This should move “forward in a way that is irreversible,” he said. “And so obviously this will naturally lead to a strengthened Palestinian Authority, and I believe the international community should be ready to support it.”

The past weakness of the Palestinian Authority and divisions in Palestinian society led to the current split arrangement, with Hamas ruling in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. With Israel vowing to eliminate Hamas, but many Palestinians enraged by Israel’s scorched-earth policy in Gaza, the future of Palestine after the conflict remains unclear.

Israel launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas.

It has since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and more than 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave. The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.

A four-day humanitarian pause mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US went into effect on Friday, temporarily halting Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.