Doha [Qatar] / Gaza [Palestine], November 6: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that any stabilisation force in Gaza must have "full international legitimacy" to support Palestinians in Gaza.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic at the Second World Summit for Social Development, Guterres said the truce achieved in the besieged and bombarded coastal enclave after "horrific suffering and famine" remained delicate and needs international guarantees.
"It is important that the force that is created has full international legitimacy to deal with the parties and the population of Gaza." The proposed international force for Gaza was part of United States President Donald Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan. But which nations comprise that force remains contentious. Israel, with US backing, has already said it will not accept Turkiye, a key Gaza ceasefire mediator, having any role on the ground. Turkiye, which has repeatedly condemned Israel's genocidal war in Gaza, held a top-level meeting this week demanding Israel stop violating the truce and allow crucial humanitarian aid to enter the embattled Palestinian enclave.
Despite criticism, Guterres said a mandate from the UN Security Council (UNSC) remains "the source of legitimacy" for any stabilisation force, warning that without it, the risk of renewed conflict remains high.
The UN chief also praised the US for bringing Israel to accept the current ceasefire.
"The government of Israel had other intentions . which were to conduct the war up to the end, but the Americans, at a certain moment, understood that enough was enough," he noted. Nevertheless, he warned that the ceasefire remained delicate.
"It was essential to stop the war and release hostages . but this is all very fragile," he said.
According to Gaza officials, Israel has violated the deal upwards of 80 times, killing hundreds of Palestinians in the last four weeks. Moreover, Guterres warned that aid entering the Gaza Strip remains far below what is needed. "Humanitarian aid has improved . but we are far from what is necessary to eliminate famine quickly, and to create the conditions for the people in Gaza to have the very, very minimum that is necessary for dignity in life," he warned.
Israel hands over bodies of 15 Palestinians
Israel has transferred the remains of 15 Palestinians to the Gaza Strip following the handover of a deceased hostage by the Palestinian organization Hamas, the Red Cross and the Hamas-controlled health authority said on Wednesday.
The Red Cross assisted in the transfer, both parties reported.
On Tuesday evening, Hamas handed over the body of an Israeli soldier, who was also a German citizen, to Red Cross staff. Israel and Hamas agreed to the exchange of bodies as part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.
According to the agreement, for each Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel must hand over the bodies of 15 Gaza Strip residents. The exact circumstances of the Palestinians' deaths are unknown, but it is suspected that Israel stored their bodies in a military camp. According to the Hamas-run health authority, Israel has so far handed over 285 deceased Palestinians, of whom 84 have been identified.
Currently, seven hostage bodies remain in the Gaza Strip, including two foreigners from Thailand and Tanzania abducted from Israel and the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in 2014.
As part of the agreement, Hamas released all remaining living hostages on October 13 in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Israel's army reported that despite the ongoing ceasefire, it attacked two Palestinians within a military-controlled area in northern Gaza. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, more than 240 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority.
Source: Qatar Tribune