Gaza: UN Middle East envoy reiterates call for ceasefire, hostage release agreement | United Nations

Briefing by Tor Wennesland, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General, on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process on Wednesday urgently called for an immediate return to negotiations, the release of hostages and a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli military assault exacerbates human suffering amid rising regional tensions.

In a briefing to the Security Council, Tor Wennesland emphasised the urgent need for all sides to change course.

“We must reach an agreement to release the hostages and put in place an immediate ceasefire. There is absolutely no time to lose,” he said, stressing that halting the fighting is essential for a comprehensive humanitarian response.

In parallel, efforts to prevent the deterioration of the situation must be linked to a long-term political strategy to ensure lasting success.

“We should be putting in place the framework for Gaza’s recovery and doing so in a way that tangibly moves us towards, rather than away from a long-term political resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Mr. Wennesland added.

No long-term Israeli military in Gaza
He reiterated key principles, including that there should be no long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza, while addressing Israel’s legitimate security concerns especially in the wake of the attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on 7 October 2023.

He underscored that Gaza must remain part of a future Palestinian State without any territorial reductions and unified with the West Bank under a recognised Palestinian Government.

Dire situation, mounting tensions
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with over 36,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals killed since 7 October. The fate of 125 hostages held in Gaza remains elusive as an agreement on a ceasefire and hostage release remains blocked.

Nearly two million Palestinians within the Gaza Strip have been displaced from their homes, many multiple times, and around 100,000 Israelis from their communities in the country’s north and south.

Violence persists in the occupied West Bank, with large-scale Israeli operations and lethal exchanges with armed Palestinians, alongside increasing settler violence and attacks by Palestinians against Israelis.

Regional tensions are high, marked by exchanges between Israel and Hezbullah and other armed groups in Lebanon, aerial attacks, and Houthi attacks on international shipping, with recent escalations between Israel and Iran further heightening risks of broader conflict.

Read More: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150356