Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, has applauded the announcement by United States President, Donald Trump, on a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, calling it a critical move toward sustainable peace in the Middle East.
In a post shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday, Dr Tedros expressed optimism that the truce would be respected by all parties, bringing an end to civilian suffering and facilitating the safe return of hostages.
“I welcome @POTUS’s announcement about the ceasefire in #Gaza and hostage release — it is indeed a big step towards lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians. I hope all parties will respect the agreement, so the suffering of all civilians finally ends and all hostages are brought home respectfully.
“WHO stands ready to scale up its work to meet the dire health needs of patients across Gaza, and to support rehabilitation of the destroyed health system. The best medicine is peace,” he wrote.
Recall that Israel and Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire deal aimed at ending a conflict that has lasted over two years, leading to massive civilian casualties and a deepening humanitarian crisis.
The deal, expected to be signed in Egypt, was brokered following a 20-point peace plan unveiled by President Biden last month. It includes provisions for the release of the remaining living hostages, the exchange of Palestinian prisoners, and the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to Gaza.
As part of the agreement, Israel is expected to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas will begin by freeing 20 living hostages within 72 hours of the deal taking effect.
The Israeli military has also signalled readiness to withdraw troops from certain areas of Gaza in line with the implementation phase of the ceasefire.
A Hamas source told AFP that the timeline for the deal’s activation would be announced on Thursday. President Biden has expressed confidence in the agreement, stating that “all the hostages will be coming back on Monday.”
