Reactions Trail Gaza Ceasefire Deal

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WHO Chief Welcomes Pact, Insists Peace Is ‘Best Medicine’
The World Health Organization (WHO) Chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has welcomed a ceasefire in Gaza, saying “peace is the best medicine” as health needs in Gaza remain “enormous”.

“Too many lives have been lost and too many families have suffered,” Tedros said on X. “We hope all parties will respect the deal and work towards lasting peace.”

He added that the UN agency for health was ready to scale up its support alongside its partners.

Bernie Sanders Okays ‘Long-Overdue’ Gaza Ceasefire
The progressive US senator says the ceasefire in Gaza should be sustained and formalised, and the perpetrators of war crimes on “both sides” must face accountability.

“Both sides must honor the deal and implement it as quickly as possible. The senseless killing must stop. The hostages must be released,” Sanders said in a statement.

“The United Nations and other aid organisations must finally be allowed unfettered access to all areas of the Gaza Strip to provide the massive amounts of humanitarian aid that is desperately needed.

“Hundreds of thousands of innocent people are struggling to survive, lacking food, water, and medical care in the middle of winter. Innocent lives hang in the balance.”

‘Ceasefire Is The Start – Not The End’ – WFP
The World Food Programme calls for resources, access and protection to allow its teams to scale up aid to Gaza.

“We welcome the long awaited ceasefire in Gaza. But a ceasefire is the start – not the end,” WFP chief Cindy McCain said in a statement.

“We have food lined up at the borders to Gaza – and need to be able to bring it in at scale. For this: We need all border crossings open and [to] be able to move food safely from the crossing points to the people in need across Gaza.

“We need security for team members and our partners, including during aid convoys. Humanitarians MUST be protected. We need more humanitarian staff allowed into Gaza. And we need urgent funding to reach everyone in need quickly.”

Agreement: Expect Increased Rafah Crossing Access – Ex-Egyptian Official
Speaking to Al Jazeera from Cairo, Hussein Haridy, Egypt’s former assistant foreign minister, said the agreement should lead to some access through the Rafah crossing between southern Gaza and Egypt.

“Fortunately, the agreement announced today in Doha stipulates that the Israelis would start withdrawing gradually from the Philadelphi Corridor, and the Palestinians would be managing the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing,” Haridy said.

“That would enable us to open the Rafah crossing, to surge aid and humanitarian assistance to Gaza.”

Haridy also said he understands the agreement would mean injured Palestinians could pass through the crossing to get medical assistance.

“Ultimately, when the Israeli forces would withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip, and there is a Palestinian authority running Gaza, I think that the Rafah crossing would be operated normally, as it had been before June 2007,” he said.

Haridy added that Egypt, which was one of the mediators for ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel, “has really exerted all its efforts to bring the Israeli aggression to an end as quickly as possible”.

Ceasefire Meets All Group’s Conditions – Hamas Official
Izzat al-Risheq, a member of the Palestinian group’s political bureau, says the ceasefire deal meets all the conditions Hamas had set out early in the war, including the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, return of displaced people to their homes and a permanent end to the war in Gaza.

“The occupier was brought to its knees,” al-Risheq said in a statement.

Israel’s Smotrich Slams Ceasefire Deal As ‘Bad, Dangerous’
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has slammed the ceasefire deal, saying it was a “bad and dangerous deal for the national security of the State of Israel”.

“A clear condition for us to remain in the government is the absolute certainty of returning to the war,” he was quoted by Israeli media as saying.

He claimed continuing the war would be necessary to achieve “complete victory”, meaning ensuring the “destruction of the Hamas terrorist organisation and the return of all the hostages to their homes”.

“We will not be silent. The voices of our brothers’ blood cry out to us,” he said.

Palestinians Impose ‘Honourable’ Agreement On Israel – PIJ
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group says the “honourable” ceasefire deal was produced by the “legendary steadfastness” of Palestinians and their resistance against Israel.

“We stress that the resistance will remain alert to ensure the full implementation of this agreement,” the group said in a statement.

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