talking to UN News From the devastated enclave, Ms. Cherevko stressed that immediate humanitarian priorities remain unchanged: “reaching the most vulnerable with the assistance that we need to get in now in adequate volumes and being able to deliver it to people in need… Obviously No amount of humanitarian aid can ever replace peace. That is why this agreement is more important than ever.”
UN aid workers have some 170,000 metric tons of food, shelter, medicine and other critical items stored outside Gaza.
These can be loaded onto trucks and enter the Strip as soon as the ceasefire is established, the aid worker explained, adding that the fighting had not stopped on Thursday morning.
“We look forward to seeing what our role will be in the future and how to get this help quickly and efficiently to the people who now, of course, desperately need it.”
US plan progress
The development follows US President Donald Trump’s announcement on Wednesday night that Israel and Hamas had “approved” the first phase of their 20-point peace plan, following days of intense indirect negotiations in Egypt.
President Trump posted on social media the news that Hamas had agreed to release all the hostages, later adding that this could happen on Monday.
His comments came at the end of a third day of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in Egypt, where in addition to American mediators, representatives from Qatar and Türkiye also led the talks.
During the Hamas-led terrorist attacks against Israel that sparked the war on October 7, 2025, 251 people were taken hostage. Reports indicate that 48 of them remain detained in Gaza and around 20 are still alive..
Other elements of the reported deal include the withdrawal of Israeli military forces to “an agreed-upon line,” Trump noted.
In confirming the deal, Hamas political leaders called on the international community to ensure that Israel meets its terms, which include the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu celebrated a “great day for Israel” ahead of a meeting of his security cabinet on Thursday afternoon to approve the first phase of the deal, including an immediate ceasefire that would begin immediately, according to media reports.
Guterres’ encouragement
“I welcome the announcement of an agreement to ensure a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, based on the proposal presented by President Donald J. Trump,” UN chief António Guterres said in a statement.
Echoing those comments and welcoming the development, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher echoes a call to “remove the hostages and scale up aid quickly.”
He added: “Our teams are fully mobilized to get trucks moving on a large scale and saving lives. They need secure access.”
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, described the “enormous relief” felt by all those affected by the war, which has killed tens of thousands of Gazans, in addition to the nearly 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas in its unprecedented attack on southern Israel two years ago.
“The agreement to finally achieve a ceasefire in #Loop and freeing the hostages is a great relief.“Lazzarini said in an online post. “It will bring respite to people who survived the worst bombing, displacement, loss and pain for two long years. “After their ordeal, the Palestinian hostages and detainees will finally be reunited with their families.”
WHO is ready: Tedros
Also welcoming the announcement of a deal, the head of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighted the still “grave” needs of patients across Gaza and said the agency “is willing to expand its work… to support the rehabilitation of the destroyed health system.”
From the UN World Food Program (WFP), Executive Director Cindy McCain supported the UN chief’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and stressed the need to “act NOW” to get aid to the people.
“Unrestricted humanitarian access is urgently needed to deliver life-saving food and assistance,” he said. “WFP is on the ground and ready to expand its operations, but we have to act NOW; there is no time to waste.”