NEW YORK, January 17, 2025 (WAFA) - United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher humanitarian agencies have been mobilizing supplies to scale up aid delivery across the Gaza Strip, in preparation for the ceasefire agreement, which is set to go into effect on Sunday.

He welcomed the ceasefire agreement and urged the parties to uphold it, stressing that this agreement offers much-needed hope to millions of people whose lives have been devastated by this conflict.

He called for protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure; allowing aid workers safe, unfettered access to people in need whoever and wherever they are and removing all obstacles to the entry of essential aid. “It will also be critical to enable entry of commercial supplies.”

“We urge the Security Council to use its collective voice and weight to insist the ceasefire is sustained, international law respected, and that obstacles to saving lives are removed.”

“We urge Member States to ensure that our humanitarian operations are funded to meet the overwhelming needs,” he said, adding: “And we call for accountability for the atrocities committed.”

“This is a moment of hope and opportunity, but we should be under no illusions how tough it will still be to get support to survivors. The stakes could not be higher.”

T.R.