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The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, has welcomed the announcement by United States President Donald Trump of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, describing it as a significant step toward lasting peace in the Middle East.
In a post on his X handle on Thursday, Tedros expressed hope that all parties would respect the terms of the agreement to end the suffering of civilians and ensure the safe return of all hostages.
He wrote, “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.”
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, has welcomed the announcement by United States President Donald Trump of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, describing it as a significant step toward lasting peace in the Middle East.
In a post on his X handle on Thursday, Tedros expressed hope that all parties would respect the terms of the agreement to end the suffering of civilians and ensure the safe return of all hostages.
He wrote, “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.”
Instant Africa earlier reported that Israel and Hamas on Thursday agreed to a Gaza ceasefire deal to free the remaining living hostages — a major development in efforts to end a war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and created a humanitarian catastrophe.
The agreement, which follows a 20-point peace plan for Gaza unveiled last month by US President Joe Biden, is expected to be signed in Egypt. It provides for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners by Israel and a surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza after more than two years of conflict that began with Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel in October 2023.
The Israeli military has also indicated readiness to withdraw troops from parts of Gaza as part of the deal’s implementation.
Under the first phase of the agreement, Hamas is expected to release 20 living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners within 72 hours of the deal taking effect.
A Hamas source told AFP that the timing for the implementation would be announced on Thursday, while President Biden expressed confidence that “all the hostages will be coming back on Monday.”
