People walk among debris at the site of an Israeli strike on the apartment building, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2023.
China welcomes the temporary truce in Gaza and hopes it will help alleviate the humanitarian crisis, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
Israel’s government and Hamas agreed to a four-day pause in fighting to allow the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.
US President Joe Biden welcomed the deal, adding it should also bring home additional American hostages.
“Today’s deal should bring home additional American hostages, and I will not stop until they are all released,” he said in a statement.
British foreign minister David Cameron welcomed the agreement, calling it a crucial step and urging the parties to deliver the deal in full.
“This agreement is a crucial step towards providing relief to the families of the hostages and addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” Cameron said. “I urge all parties to ensure the agreement is delivered in full.”
France hopes its eight citizens believed held as hostages will be released as a result of a truce deal, Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna said on Wednesday.
“We hope that there will be French people among the first batch of hostages to be released,” Colonna told France Inter radio.
European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said she welcomed the agreement, stressing: “The European Commission will do its utmost to use this pause for a humanitarian surge to Gaza.”
