World Leaders Welcome Ceasefire Deal to End Israel's Genocide in Gaza.

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - World leaders have welcomed the agreement between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Wednesday. The ceasefire provides hope for ending Israel's genocide against the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, which has killed more than 46,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that the UN stands ready to support the implementation of this agreement and increase the delivery of sustainable humanitarian aid to the countless Palestinians who continue to suffer.

"It is critical that this ceasefire removes significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid throughout Gaza so that we can support a major increase in urgent, life-saving humanitarian support," he told reporters, as reported by Al Arabiya.

US President Joe Biden said the ceasefire was in line with the proposal he presented on May 31, 2024 and unanimously approved by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

"This agreement will end the fighting in Gaza, make much-needed humanitarian assistance available to Palestinians in Gaza, and reunite hostages with their families," Biden said via social media X, monitored Thursday, January 16, 2025.

He also welcomed the ceasefire as giving hope for the return of three US citizens held hostage in Gaza and vowed to "return them all to their homeland".

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, one of the supporters of Palestine in Europe, is hopeful for the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas. “This must end the conflict, allow the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza to be addressed and all hostages to be released,” he said on X.

“This agreement is vital to achieving regional stability. It is an indispensable step on the path to a two-state solution and a just peace that respects international law.”

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, who also supported the Palestinians, said Palestinian institutions must be strengthened and ready to take full control and responsibility, including in Gaza. “Both Israelis and Palestinians must receive credible security guarantees, and the solution must be regionally anchored.”

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the ceasefire, which he called “long overdue news,” an opportunity to “deliver the humanitarian aid that is desperately needed to end the suffering in Gaza.”

In a statement delivered via X’s social media, the British PM also encouraged the ceasefire to be followed up with efforts to reach a permanent solution to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians based on a two-state solution.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose country supports Israel’s genocide in Gaza, called the ceasefire “good news.” He urged that the terms of the agreement, including the release of the hostages, must be adhered to by all parties.

“This ceasefire opens the door to a permanent end to the war and to improving the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,” Scholz wrote, also via X.

French President Emmanuel Macron also said via X that the ceasefire brought “great relief to the people of Gaza” and hope to the families of the hostages after 15 months of heavy fighting.

Macron also stressed that the ceasefire must be adhered to by all parties.

The ceasefire to halt Israel’s aggression in the Gaza Strip was announced by Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha on Wednesday evening local time.

He said the agreement, which is expected to end Israel’s aggression and genocide that has devastated Gaza, consists of three stages that will come into effect on Sunday, January 19, 2025.

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