“There is a very positive, jubilant mood in Gaza this morning and there was overnight,” said Olga Cherevko from the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. “There were people whistling and partying and celebrating.”

Speaking to UN News from the devastated enclave, Ms. Cherevko stressed that immediate humanitarian priorities remain unchanged: “to reach the most vulnerable with the assistance that we need to be entering now at adequate volumes and to be able to deliver it to the people in need…Obviously no amount of humanitarian aid will ever be able to take the place of peace. So, this deal is more important than ever.”

UN humanitarians have some 170,000 metric tons of food, shelter, medicine and other critical items waiting in storage outside Gaza. 

These can be loaded onto trucks and enter the Strip as soon as a ceasefire is implemented, the aid worker explained, adding that fighting had not stopped on Thursday morning. 

“We are looking forward to seeing what our role will be down the line and how to quickly and efficiently get this aid to the people now who of course need it desperately.”

US plan progress

The development follows the announcement by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening that Israel and Hamas had “signed off” on the first phase of his 20-point peace plan, following days of intensive indirect negotiations in Egypt.

President Trump published the news on social media that Hamas had agreed to release all hostages, later adding that that this could happen on Monday. 

His comments came at the end of a third day of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in Egypt, where in addition to US mediators, representatives from Qatar and Turkey also steered the talks.

During the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel that triggered the war on 7 October 2025, 251 people were taken hostage. Reports indicate that 48 of them are still being held in Gaza and around 20 are still alive.

Other elements of the reported deal include the withdrawal of Israeli military forces to “an agreed upon line”, Mr. Trump noted.

In reportedly confirming the deal, Hamas political leaders called on the international community to ensure that Israel abides by its terms, which include the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed a “great day for Israel”, ahead of a meeting of his security cabinet on Thursday afternoon to approve the first phase of the deal – including an immediate ceasefire which would begin immediately, according to news reports.

Guterres encouragement

“I welcome the announcement of an agreement to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, based on the proposal put forward by President Donald J. Trump,” said UN chief António Guterres in a statement.

Echoing those comments and welcoming the development, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher echo issuing an appeal to “get the hostages out and surge aid in – fast”. 

He added: “Our teams are fully mobilised to get the trucks moving at scale and save lives. They need safe access.”

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, described the “huge relief” felt by all those impacted by the war, which has killed tens of thousands of Gazans, in addition to the nearly 1,200 Israelis murdered by Hamas in their unprecedented attack across southern Israel two years ago.

“The agreement to finally secure a ceasefire in #Gaza and release the hostages is a huge relief,” Mr. Lazzarini said in an online post. “It will bring respite to people who survived the worst bombardment, displacement, loss and grief for two long years. After their excruciating ordeal, hostages and Palestinian detainees will finally join their families.” 

WHO stands ready: Tedros

Also welcoming the announcement of a deal, head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the still “dire” needs of patients across Gaza and said that the agency “stands ready to scale up its work…to support rehabilitation of the destroyed health system”.

From the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Executive Director Cindy McCain supported the UN chief’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and stressed the need to “move NOW” to get aid in.

“Unrestricted humanitarian access is urgently needed to deliver life-saving food & assistance,” she said. “WFP is on the ground and ready to scale up operations, but we need to move NOW – there is no time to waste.”