By Diyar Guldogan
WASHINGTON (AA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage-release agreement in the Gaza Strip.
"I welcome the announcement of an agreement to secure a ceasefire & hostage release in Gaza, based on the proposal put forward by @POTUS," Guterres said on the US social media company X’s platform.
His remarks came right after US President Donald Trump announced that Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas signed off on the first phase of a US-proposed Gaza deal.
"I commend the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt & Türkiye in brokering this desperately needed breakthrough.
"I urge all concerned to abide fully by the terms of the agreement," Guterres said.