UN Chief Welcomes Islamic Jihad-Israel Cease-fire
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday said, through his spokesman, that he “welcomes the announcement of a cease-fire in Gaza and Israel.” In a statement published on the UN website, spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the secretary-general “is deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries, including children, from airstrikes in Gaza and the indiscriminate firing of rockets toward Israel from population centers in Gaza by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other militant groups.”
Dujarric’s statement referred to the humanitarian emergency caused by the flare-up of violence, which caused power shortages and destroyed or damaged hundreds of buildings. leaving thousands of Palestinians homeless. He thanked Egypt for its efforts “carried out in close coordination with the United Nations” to bring about a cease-fire, which he called on all sides to observe.
“He reaffirms the United Nations’ commitment to the achievement of the two-state solution based on relevant United Nations resolutions, international law, and prior agreements and the importance of restoring a political horizon. Only a negotiated sustainable political solution will end, once and for all, these devastating cycles of violence and lead to a peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis alike,” said the spokesman.
The cease-fire between Israel and the Islamic Jihad armed group in the Gaza Strip went into effect Sunday at 11:30 pm local time. Rocket fire and airstrikes continued right up to the truce deadline and resumed eight minutes later, continuing for at least 15 minutes, but since then, the tenuous cease-fire seems to be holding.
