The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said on Thursday, “Our teams stand ready to expand the scope of work to meet the urgent health needs of Palestinian patients throughout the Gaza Strip, and to support the rehabilitation of the devastated health system.”
This came according to a blog post on Ghebreyesus’s account on the “X” platform, in which he welcomed the approval of Israel and Hamas for the first phase of the US President’s plan to stop the war on Gaza and exchange prisoners.
Ghebreyesus said, “I welcome the US President’s announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages, as it is indeed a big step towards a lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
He expressed his hope that all parties would respect the agreement, so that the suffering of civilians would end, and all Israeli prisoners would return to their homes with respect.
He continued, “The World Health Organization stands ready to expand the scope of its work to meet the urgent health needs of patients throughout Gaza, and to support the rehabilitation of the devastated health system in the Strip.”
The UN official concluded by saying, “Peace is the best medicine.”
At dawn on Thursday, President Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had reached an agreement on the first phase of his plan for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange.
Trump said in a blog post on his platform (Truth Social): “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have signed the first phase of our peace plan.”
He added, “This means that all hostages (captured in Gaza) will be released very soon, and that Israel will withdraw its forces to an agreed upon line as a first step towards a strong, lasting and eternal peace, and all parties will be treated fairly.”
Trump continued, “It is a great day for the Arab and Islamic worlds, for Israel, for all surrounding countries, and for the United States, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey who worked with us to achieve this historic and unprecedented event.”
The Israeli government is scheduled to ratify the Gaza Agreement today, in preparation for the start of a gradual withdrawal of the army from the Gaza Strip, and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, according to what the Israeli Foreign Ministry reported on the American “X” platform.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel – with American support – has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving 67,183 martyrs, 169,841 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that claimed the lives of 460 Palestinians, including 154 children.