By Melike Pala
BRUSSELS (AA) - The UN rights commissioner Volker Turk on Saturday welcomed Hamas's response to US President Donald Trump's ceasefire proposal for Gaza, calling it a "vital opportunity" to end the ongoing conflict and alleviate the suffering of civilians.
In a statement on the US social media platform X, Turk emphasized the importance of this development, saying it could pave the way for a permanent cessation of hostilities, humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages and detained Palestinians.
"This is a vital opportunity for all parties and influential States to pursue in good faith and stop -- once and for all -- the carnage and the suffering in Gaza, to flood the strip with humanitarian aid, and to ensure the release of the hostages and numerous detained Palestinians," he said.
Trump on Friday, after the response from Hamas, said, said that he believed the group was “ready for lasting peace” and urged Israel to “immediately stop bombing Gaza” in order to secure the release of Israeli captives.
Hamas announced its willingness to release all Israeli captives, alive and dead, and to hand over Gaza’s administration to an independent Palestinian authority composed of technocrats. However, it stressed that the enclave’s future and Palestinian rights must be addressed within a broader national Palestinian framework.
Israel estimates 48 captives still remain in Gaza, including 20 alive.
Tel Aviv, meanwhile, holds around 11,100 Palestinian captives, many of whom face torture, hunger, and medical neglect, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups.
On Sept. 29, Trump unveiled the 20-point plan, including the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners, a ceasefire, and the disarmament of Hamas.
Israel has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023.