UNITED NATIONS, April 30 (Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas, and for an international investigation of the newly found mass graves in Gaza.

“I have called consistently for a humanitarian cease-fire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and a massive surge in humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, that has not happened — yet. But negotiations are once again under way,” said Guterres.

“For the sake of the people of Gaza, for the sake of the hostages and their families in Israel, and for the sake of the region and the wider world, I strongly encourage the government of Israel and the Hamas leadership to reach now an agreement,” he told reporters.

Without such an agreement, the war, with all its consequences both in Gaza and across the region, will worsen exponentially, he warned.

He raised the alarm at a possible Israeli offensive on Rafah.

Recent weeks have seen airstrikes in the Rafah area. A military assault on Rafah would be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee. It would have a devastating impact on Palestinians in Gaza, with serious repercussions on the occupied West Bank, and across the wider region, warned Guterres.

“All members of the Security Council, and many other governments, have clearly expressed their opposition to such an operation. I appeal for all those with influence over Israel to do everything in their power to prevent it,” he said.

More than 1.2 million people are now seeking shelter in Rafah governorate, most of them fleeing the Israeli bombardment that has reportedly killed over 34,000 people. They have very little to eat, hardly any access to medical care, little shelter, and nowhere safe to go, he noted.

Guterres called for an international investigation of the newly found mass graves in Gaza.

“I am deeply alarmed by reports that mass graves have been discovered in several locations in Gaza, including Al Shifa Medical Complex and Nasser Medical Complex. In Nasser alone, over 390 bodies have reportedly been exhumed,” he said.

There are competing narratives around several of these mass graves, including serious allegations that some of those buried had been unlawfully killed, he told reporters. “It is imperative that independent international investigators, with forensic expertise, are allowed immediate access to the sites of these mass graves, to establish the precise circumstances under which hundreds of Palestinians lost their lives and were buried, or reburied.”

The families of the dead and missing have a right to know what happened. And the world has a right to accountability for any violations of international law that may have taken place, he said.

Hospitals, health workers, patients and all civilians must be protected. The human rights of all must be respected, said Guterres.

Guterres also called for more humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

“In northern Gaza, the most vulnerable — from sick children to people with disabilities — are already dying of hunger and disease. We must do everything possible to avert an entirely preventable, human-made famine,” he said. “We have seen incremental progress recently. But much more is urgently needed, including the promised opening of two crossing points between Israel and northern Gaza, so that aid can be brought into Gaza from Ashdod port and Jordan.”

Under international humanitarian law, civilians must be protected and they must be able to receive the essentials they need to survive, including food, shelter, and health care, he noted.

A major obstacle to distributing aid across Gaza is the lack of security for humanitarians and the people in need. Humanitarian convoys, facilities and personnel, and people in need, must not be targets, he said.

Guterres called on the Israeli authorities to allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid and humanitarian workers throughout Gaza.

He called for support for the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, saying the agency has an irreplaceable and indispensable role in supporting millions of people in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

Most countries that had suspended contributions to UNRWA following Israel’s allegations that a dozen UNRWA staff members participated in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, have resumed their aid. The United Nations is optimistic that other countries will follow suit. But a funding gap remains, he said. “I call on member states, both traditional and new donors, to pledge funds generously to ensure the continuity of the agency’s operations.”

Guterres reaffirmed the world body’s commitment to a two-state solution — the only sustainable path to peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians, and the wider region.

“The United Nations is totally committed to supporting a pathway to peace, based on an end to the (Israeli) occupation and the establishment of a fully independent, democratic, viable, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian state, with Gaza as an integral part,” he said.

Source(s): Xinhua

Israel is set to send a delegation to Cairo for talks with Hamas on a new ceasefire proposal aimed at securing the release of hostages held in Gaza as the conflict lingers on for nearly seven months now.

The delegation, composed of security officials, will depart on Tuesday to discuss the deal with Egyptian brokers, an Israeli government source told Xinhua.

A Hamas delegation left Egypt after the talks and will “return with a written response” to the latest truce proposal, according to Egyptian sources quoted by Al-Qahera News, a site also linked to Egyptian intelligence services.

Abdul Latif al-Qanou, a spokesman for Hamas, said on Monday in a statement that “ensuring a permanent ceasefire is a fundamental cornerstone for moving towards the details of negotiations and the success of the agreement with the Israeli occupation.”

According to the Israeli state-owned Kan TV, in the revised proposal, Israel has agreed to reduce the number of hostages it demands to be released to 33.

Israel initially insisted that Hamas release a minimum of 40 hostages but altered its position upon learning that the actual number of surviving hostages was below 40.

Speaking on Monday at a World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Egypt was hopeful about a proposal for a truce and the release of hostages, but awaiting responses from Israel and Hamas.

“We are hopeful the proposal has taken into account the positions of both sides, has tried to extract moderation from both sides, and we are waiting to have a final decision,” Shoukry said.

A Palestinian official close to mediation efforts told Reuters: “Things look better this time,” but declined to say whether an agreement was imminent.

Israel’s military operation to eradicate Hamas has killed at least 34,480 Palestinians and wounded 77,643, according to Gaza’s health authorities. It has displaced most of the Palestinian enclave’s 2.3 million people and laid much of the area to waste.

The campaign was triggered by the October 7 attack on Israel in which Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

The conflict has brought Gaza to the brink of famine, United Nations and humanitarian aid groups say, while reducing much of the territory to rubble and raising fears of a wider regional conflict.

High temperatures in crowded Rafah have turned makeshift shelters made from plastic tarps into sweltering ovens. The UN has warned of diseases spreading.

Source(s): CGTN

Negotiations over Israel’s upcoming offensive in the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city of Rafah and efforts to achieve a ceasefire deal with Hamas were “very good” between Israeli officials and a high-level Egyptian delegation, media and sources said Friday.

The negotiations were “very good, focused, held in good spirits and progressed in all parameters,” a senior Israeli official told Israeli media Ynet.

“In the background, there are very serious intentions from Israel to move ahead in Rafah,” and the Egyptians are willing to exert pressure on Hamas to achieve a deal, the official was quoted as saying.

According to the Israeli official, Israel made a warning that it would not agree to foot-dragging by Hamas on the hostage deal to delay the military operation in Rafah, and he also mentioned that Israel had deployed reserve soldiers to the Gaza Strip.

According to Channel 12, the official added that Israel is prepared to make more “significant compromises,” such as permitting the evacuation of Gazan civilians in northern Gaza and removing its troops from a crucial corridor that divides Gaza.

Meanwhile, Egypt reportedly sent a high-level delegation, led by senior intelligence official Abbas Kamel, to Israel on Friday with the hope of brokering a ceasefire agreement with Hamas in Gaza.

Considerable progress has been achieved in bringing the views of the Egyptian and Israeli delegations closer together regarding reaching a truce in Gaza, Egypt’s Al-Qahera News TV reported.

In addition, two high-ranking Egyptian security officials confirmed to Xinhua news agency that the talks discussed Egypt’s “rescue initiative,” which aims to prevent any more escalations in the Strip and avoid the invasion of Rafah.

On Thursday, Israeli media reported that the country is expected to “soon” begin evacuating civilians from Rafah ahead of a planned ground attack.

Earlier Thursday, Israel’s wartime cabinet and security cabinet convened to discuss a possible assault on Rafah, a city previously considered a “safe zone” from the relentless Israeli bombardments, where about 1.4 million displaced Palestinians have found refuge.

Source(s): CGTN