NEW YORK: The United Nations is ready to encourage all initiatives facilitating a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Deputy Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Farhan Haq said, commenting on the US government’s declared intention to broker a truce in the enclave.
“We would encourage any efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza. We have talked about this for quite some time, that we need a ceasefire, we need the release of all hostages and we need expanded humanitarian access,” he told reporters, according to Tass news agency.
The spokesman added that the United Nations remains “in regular touch with all of the various partners trying to get as much information on this [as possible].”
The statement came in response to outgoing US President Joe Biden’s recent remarks, who said that the United States and Israel will try to conclude a Gaza ceasefire deal in the coming days, with the mediation of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.
In late November 2023, a temporary humanitarian ceasefire was brokered by Egypt and Qatar, which lasted for a week. During this time, 110 hostages were released, according to Israel.
On December 1, the ceasefire was violated and hostilities resumed. Several rounds of consultations involving Qatar, the US and Egypt were held in August but the parties to the conflict failed to reach a deal.
On October 27 to 28, Doha hosted another round of consultations on the Gaza Strip, which involved David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, and US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns.
However, the parties once again failed to agree on the conditions for a ceasefire in Gaza. – BERNAMA-TASS
