Palestinian prime minister calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire, humanitarian aid access

ANKARA

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa on Friday called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the urgent entry of humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of civilians.

Speaking at a press conference following a meeting of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee on Gaza, held on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye, Mustafa stressed the critical need for a halt to hostilities.

“There must be an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid must be ensured,” the prime minister said.

“We are developing the details of a Gaza reconstruction plan, and it is vital that these efforts succeed in order to achieve long-term stability in the region,” he added.

The Antalya Diplomacy Forum, held under the theme Reclaiming Diplomacy in a Fragmented World, brings together leaders, diplomats, and policymakers from across the globe and will continue till Sunday.

The Israeli army renewed its assault on Gaza on March 18, shattering the Jan. 19 ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

More than 50,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. The military campaign has left the enclave in ruins and rendered it almost uninhabitable.

Israel has repeatedly used food and international humanitarian aid as a tool of collective pressure against Palestinian people over the course of the war. It halted the delivery of aid to the enclave on March 2, hours after the end of truce deal’s 42-day first phase.