U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza on Thursday (October 9) and said the United Nations is ready to help.

"The United Nations stands ready to provide its full support. We and our partners are prepared to move now," Guterres said at the United Nations. He pressed for full and sustained access for humanitarian workers in Gaza.

"Our teams are on standby," he said.

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed an agreement on Thursday to cease fire and free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, in the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's initiative to end the war in Gaza.

Officials on both sides confirmed they had signed the deal following indirect talks in the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The deal's announcement had been greeted with celebrations among Palestinians and Israelis alike.

Under the deal, the biggest step yet towards peace, fighting will cease, Israel will partially withdraw from Gaza and Hamas will free hostages it captured in the attack that precipitated the war, in exchange for prisoners held by Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the ceasefire would take effect once the agreement is ratified by his government, which would convene after a security cabinet meeting on Thursday.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: UNITED NATIONS (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (UNTV - Access all)

1. U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES WALKING TO PODIUM, FOLLOWED BY U.N. SPOKESPERSON STEPHANE DUJARRIC

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL, ANTONIO GUTERRES, SAYING:

"I welcome the announcement last night of an agreement to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza based on the proposal put forward by President Donald J. Trump. And I commend the diplomatic efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey in brokering the desperately needed breakthrough. We have all waited far too long for this moment. Now we must make it truly count. I urge all parties to fully abide by the terms of the agreement and to fully embrace the opportunities it presents. All hostages must be released in a dignified manner. A permanent ceasefire must be secured. The bloodshed must stop once and for all. And the United Nations will provide its full support. We and our partners are prepared to move now. We have the expertise, the distribution networks, the community relationships in place to act. Supplies are in place, and our teams are on standby. We can scale up food, water, medical, and shelter assistance at once. But to turn this ceasefire into real progress, we need more than the silencing of the guns. We need full, safe and sustained access for humanitarian workers, the removal of red tape and impediments, and the rebuilding of shattered infrastructure. And we need member states to ensure that humanitarian operations are properly funded to meet the immense needs. We must never forget the unbearable human cost of this conflict. I mourn all of the lives lost, including United Nations personnel and humanitarian workers, and pay tribute to our colleagues who continue to serve with courage and compassion in conditions of extreme risk. For Israelis and Palestinians alike, this deal offers a glimmer of relief. And that glimmer must become the dawn of peace, the beginning of the end of this devastating war. I urge all to seize this momentous opportunity to establish a credible political path forward, a path towards ending the occupation, recognizing the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and achieving a two-state solution, a path to a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians and to wider peace and security in the Middle East. This breakthrough shows us the power and potential of diplomacy. Let it be a reminder that the solutions to conflicts are not found on the battlefield. They must be forged at the negotiating table. And then, crucially, they must be fully implemented. The world is watching. Thank you very much.”

3. GUTERRES WALKING AWAY FROM PODIUM, END OF PRESSER