There ‘must be no backsliding’ on Gaza ceasefire agreement — UN relief chief

The United Nations’ (UN) humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher says there “must be no backsliding” by Hamas and Israel on the fragile ceasefire agreement that has been signed between the parties.

“There will be some who will seek to prevent President [Donald] Trump’s plan from being implemented and that must not be allowed to happen. This cannot be a false dawn for civilians in Gaza and Israel who are so desperate for peace, to see their loved ones and their families again after so long waiting, and to live lives free from fear,” said Fletcher at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, 9 October. 

Read more: Israel and Hamas agree to first phase of Trump’s plan to end Gaza war

“I think it’s no secret; I think there are hardliners on both sides of the argument who have sought, in the past, to delay and impede efforts to get the hostages out [and] get the aid in. They’ve been explicit in their rejection of what we all recognise as a path towards peace,” he said. 

Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to the first phase of Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza, which included a ceasefire and hostage deal that could pave the way to ending the two-year war in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported. 

Trump announced that both parties had signed off on the first phase of the plan in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday night. This phase would bring the release of all living and dead hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops to  “an agreed-upon line” in Gaza, Trump said in his post. 

Israel’s security cabinet was meeting to vote on the first phase of the ceasefire plan on Thursday afternoon, and a ceasefire is expected to take place immediately following the Israeli government’s approval, CNN reported. 

The agreement comes after intense negotiations between mediators from the US, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey in Egypt earlier this week. The plan also has the backing of several Arab and Western nations. 

Read more: What do we know about Trump’s Gaza deal?

In a statement on Thursday morning, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) welcomed the announcement of a peace plan between Hamas and Israel, saying that it paved the way “for ending the war on Gaza and bringing about durable peace”. 

Echoing the UN aid chief’s remarks, Pretoria urged all parties “to commit to the steps agreed upon during negotiations and follow through with a credible and inclusive political process that will ensure an end to the tragic and catastrophic humanitarian situation”.

“We further welcome the announcement of the release of hostages and political prisoners, commend the role played by the guarantor states and call for the immediate, unhindered, entry of much-needed humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.

“The cost to human lives and the brutality suffered by civilians in Gaza, particularly women and children, has been immeasurable. The devastation left behind on the people of Palestine must never again be exacted on any civilian population,” Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said in the statement. 

The South African Government welcomes the announcement of a peace plan between Hamas and Israel paving the way for ending the war on Gaza and bringing about durable peace. pic.twitter.com/mFjduhxxNN

— Minister: International Relations and Cooperation (@RonaldLamola) October 9, 2025

Since Hamas’ October 2023 attack on Israel, in which at least 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 hostages taken, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 169,000, according to Palestinian health authorities. 

Thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble in the devastated region.

Last month, a UN Independent Commission of Inquiry found that Israel has committed, and was continuing to commit, genocide in Gaza, adding to an increasing number of international bodies and human rights organisations that have come to the same conclusion.

South Africa approached the World Court in December 2023, arguing that Israel’s actions in Gaza were in violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention, an instrument forged in the fires of the Holocaust to ensure its horror would never happen again.

Read more: Joy in Israel and Gaza after ceasefire announced

On Thursday afternoon, Fletcher said Trump’s plan “must be the basis for life-saving work throughout the region and for saving tens of thousands of lives”.

UN 60-day aid plan

A trickle of international aid has been able to reach Palestinians in Gaza during the past months. Fletcher outlined what the UN planned to deliver to Palestinians in Gaza during the first 60 days of the peace plan. 

“We are ready to roll,” he said. 

“We will aim to increase the pipeline to hundreds of trucks every day. We will scale up the provision of food across Gaza to reach 2.1 million people who need food aid and around 500,ooo people who need nutrition. 

“Famine must be reverted in areas where it has taken hold, and prevented in others,” he added. According to Fletcher, 170,000 metric tonnes of food, medicine and other supplies are in place to be distributed in Gaza. 

Read more: Many of my staff can’t work because they are starving, says Gaza City hospital director

After a two-month ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas collapsed in March, Israel implemented a total blockade on aid, pushing Palestinians into famine. 

In August, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a globally recognised organisation that classifies the severity of food insecurity, found that the threshold for famine in Gaza City had been met. 

“We’ll increase nutrition screening and we’ll provide nutrition supplies, including high-energy, nutrient-dense food items for the most vulnerable groups, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, and children and adolescents,” he said. He also said that the UN would provide 1.4 million people with water and sanitation services. 

Fletcher said the UN would restore Gaza’s “decimated” healthcare system.  

He said the organisation would also reopen temporary learning spaces to children, to provide activities for 700,000 school-aged children. 

“This is the plan. We can deliver it. We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again,” he said.

Fletcher said it was his “assumption” that the UN would be given unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip and that Israel’s blockade of the region would be lifted.

“We’ve been demanding that for months, and we’ll continue to demand that, and my reading of the agreement is that we will have that unhindered access that is so important for our life-saving work,” he said. DM

Victoria O’Regan is a 2025 Dag Hammarskjöld Journalism Fellow whose reporting on the 80th UN General Assembly and its activities in New York has been sponsored by the Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists.