UN's Guterres calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas militia, as the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strp reaches "horrific proportions."

The recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran is a reason for hope he said, but he noted Gazans are being killed while searching for food.

"The search for food must never be a death sentence," he said, indirectly referring to the humanitarian aid distribution centres operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in Gaza.

According to UN figures, at least 410 Palestinians have been killed near GHF food distribution points since the end of May. Operations that direct civilians into zones controlled by the military are unsafe.

The GHF is a foundation supported by Israel and the United States. Israel introduced it after weeks of a total blockade of the besieged Gaza Strip to bypass the distribution of aid by the UN and other organizations, which it claims Hamas steals and then resells. Hamas denies the allegation.

Guterres repeated his three urgent steps: an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and full, unimpeded humanitarian access.

Also on Friday, US President Donald Trump said he expects a ceasefire next week. "We are close," he said, adding that he had recently spoken with some of the parties involved.

"We think within the next week we're going to get a ceasefire," he told reporters at the White House.

He did not provide further details, leaving it unclear what was behind his optimistic statement.

Mediators in Qatar and Egypt have long been working to broker a new ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist Hamas militia.

As part of such an agreement, the remaining hostages from Israel in Gaza are expected to be released, and many Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are to be freed.

The current conflict started when Hamas and other groups invaded Israel on October 7. 2023, killing 1,200 and taking 250 hostage.

Israel then responded with an attack on Gaza that has to date killed more than 56,300 people and wounded more than 132,600 according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry. The figures do not distinguish between military and civilians.