UN Chief welcomes Middle East ceasefire

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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the ceasefire announcement between Israel and the Hamas movement, commending the parties for "stepping back from the brink."

Addressing the UN Security Council from Tel Aviv, the Secretary-General said it is imperative that both sides stick to the ceasefire in order to allow the underlying issues to be addressed in a sustainable fashion.

"Our focus now must be on insuring the ceasefire holds and that all those in need in Gaza – and there are many – receive the humanitarian assistance they need. It is a huge relief for the people of Gaza and Israel and for the international community that the violence is stopping. But we are all aware of the risk."

Secretary-General Ban said that there are many details that must be ironed out for a broad durable ceasefire to take firm hold over the longer term.

The Secretary-General has asked his Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Robert Serry, to support the efforts to achieve a sustainable ceasefire.

Gerry Adams, United Nations
Duration: 1’07″