UN chief lauds Trump’s ceasefire proposal as Israel, Hamas agree to first phase of peace plan

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is among those who first welcomed the announcement that the long-awaited ceasefire deal had been secured between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in the devastated Gaza Strip, which includes the release of hostages.

In a post on X, on Oct 8, Guterres said he welcomes the truce proposal US President Donald Trump has put forward.

Trump was the first to announce on his Truth Social platform that Hamas and Israel had both signed off on the first phase of a Gaza peace plan.

“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump wrote on Oct 8. He thanked mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye for the “historic and unprecedented event”.

Trump hailed the breakthrough as “a great day for Israel and the world” and told Channel 12 news over the phone that he was likely to visit Israel in the coming days and deliver a speech at the Knesset.

Trump’s words echoed those of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who also hailed it “a great day for Israel”.

Netanyahu said he would on Oct 10 convene the government to approve the ceasefire agreement and “bring all our dear hostages home”.

Guterres said, “I commend the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt & Turkiye in brokering this desperately needed breakthrough.”

“I urge all concerned to abide fully by the terms of the agreement. All hostages must be released in a dignified manner. A permanent ceasefire must be secured. The fighting must stop once & for all. Immediate & unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies & essential commercial materials into Gaza must be ensured. The suffering must end,” he added.

“I urge all stakeholders to seize this momentous opportunity to establish a credible political path forward towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, leading to a two-state solution to enable Israelis & Palestinians to live in peace & security. The stakes have never been higher,” said Guterres.

He had earlier emphasized that the situation for Palestinians in Gaza “is beyond description, beyond atrocious & beyond inhumane” and that “we cannot allow this situation to continue”.

Immediately after the announcement, a statement was published by Hamas on the Telegram social media platform, saying it had “submitted lists of Palestinian prisoners” to Israel “according to the criteria agreed upon in the (ceasefire) agreement”, Al Jazeera reported.

Further, Hamas said it is now “awaiting final agreement on the names” before it publicly announces them through its Prisoners’ Media Office.

The Times of Israel reported that Hamas reportedly agreed to release all living hostages within 72 hours and all slain hostages it can locate.

Hamas called on Trump, Arab mediators and international parties to “compel the occupation government (Israel) to fully implement the agreement’s requirements”, Al Jazeera reported.

The talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, were held between Israelis led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top aide Ron Dermer, and representatives from a number of Palestinian groups, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Islamic Jihad, the Saudi Gazette reported.

However, Israeli attacks on Gaza continued throughout the talks despite Trump’s warning for Israel to cease attacks amid talks, killing at least dozens of Palestinians and injuring about 100 more from Oct 7-8, according to the enclave’s health authorities.

Earlier, Hamas’ top negotiator, Khalil al-Hayya, said his group wants “real guarantees from President (Donald) Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all”. It appeared to be his first public appearance since he survived an Israeli strike targeting him and other top Hamas leaders in Doha last month.

In a meeting on Oct 7, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa affirmed the government’s readiness to implement immediate and urgent interventions as soon as the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip ends as he stressed the importance of joint work with international partners in emergency response, restoring essential services, and providing immediate relief in preparation for launching comprehensive reconstruction efforts.

Global pressure to end Israeli attacks has escalated as the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 67,000 Palestinians in the past 24 months, caused massive destruction to Gaza’s infrastructure, and created a catastrophic humanitarian crisis and famine in the besieged enclave of about 2 million people.

Recent protests against Israeli genocidal assaults have spread from the United Kingdom to Canada, Germany, Japan, Spain and Australia.

Xinhua contributed to this report.