The United States on Monday (Nov 27) hailed the extension of the truce between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas by two days and said that it was optimistic about the humanitarian pause being continued for longer.
“Of course, we welcome the announcement,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters after mediator Qatar said the initial four-day truce was to be lengthened.
“We would of course hope to see the pause extended further, and that will depend upon Hamas continuing to release hostages.”
Earlier, the Palestinian militant group had promised that it would release another 20 women and children that it had held hostage in the Gaza Strip over the next two days.
Kirby also expressed hope that the truce could turn into a more permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
“I won’t speak for the Israeli Defense Forces, but when these pauses are over, they have made it very clear that they’re going to continue to target Hamas leadership,” Kirby said.
He then said that US President Joe Biden was optimistic about his efforts to accelerate the humanitarian assistance going into Gaza and also his approach towards facilitating the release of hostages.
Earlier, Biden had taken to his official X handle on Monday (Nov 27) and said that he would continue to stay in touch with leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and Israel to ensure that every aspect of the deal was implemented.
I have consistently pressed for a pause in the fighting to accelerate and expand the humanitarian assistance going into Gaza and facilitate the release of hostages.
I remain in contact with leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and Israel to make sure every aspect of the deal is implemented.
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 27, 2023
Also read: Egypt and Qatar successfully mediate two-day extension of truce between Israel and Hamas
‘Truce not enough to meet aid needs’, says UN chief
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the move to extend the truce “a glimpse of hope and humanity,” but also warned that it wasn’t enough to meet the aid needs of war-torn Gaza.
“I strongly hope that this will enable us to increase even more the humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza that (are) suffering so much – knowing that even with that additional amount of time, it will be impossible to satisfy all the dramatic needs of the population,” Guterres told reporters.
The UN, which has been actively transporting aid into the besieged Palestinian enclave via the Rafah border crossing from Egypt, also anticipates being able to use the Kerem Shalom border crossing which is controlled by Israel.
“I am sincerely hopeful that it will be possible to have other crossings because they will facilitate the distribution and it will also facilitate the control by the Israeli side. So I’m very hopeful that this will happen,” Guterres said.
(With inputs from agencies)
