SG Spokesperson on Gaza ceasefire commitment
While Hamas has delivered two additional deceased Israeli captives today, the ceasefire remains fragile, with both sides accusing the other of failing to fully comply with the terms of the agreement. The United Nations reiterates that it is not positioned to enforce the details of the deal, but maintains that both parties must adhere to the framework of the agreed ceasefire.
United Nations
Sphinx News: Ahmed Ali
Just today, the Office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Hamas operatives have sent another two deceased Israeli captives, mediated by the Red Cross. Sources indicate there are still 11 more deceased Israeli captives needed to be delivered by Hamas, a task that the Palestinian group asserts has operational and logistical challenges attached to it.
The 11 remaining deceased captives are said by Hamas to be buried underground, with Israel’s bombardment campaign making it increasingly difficult to retrieve said bodies. The group has requested that Israeli authorities authorize the entry of heavy bulldozers and machines in order to facilitate the process of recovering the bodies. Not only is Hamas’s request not being granted, but Israeli authorities are accusing the Palestinian force of buying time. “The effort to return our abductees continues continuously and will not stop until the last abductee is returned,” the Israeli prime minister’s office added today.
As the exchange of hostages outlined in phase 1 of Trump’s Gaza Peace plan remains muddy and challenging, the Secretary General maintains the United Nations clear position. “The Secretary General wants both parties to do the upmost and live up to their commitments of the ceasefire agreement”, says SG spokesperson Farhan Haq. Haq maintains however that, “we (the United Nations), are not one of the parties that are mediating this agreement, and we leave it in the hands of the mediators to determine what follow up steps they need to take.”
