UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini says there is “hope and anticipation” for a ceasefire deal, calling it “desperately needed and long overdue”, Al Jazeera reports.

“People in Gaza are exhausted after nearly 660 days of war, displacement, bombing and siege,” he said in a post on X. “A deal is paramount.”

Lazzarini stressed that the starvation of the Palestinian people must end, and the flow of humanitarian aid must resume “uninterrupted and safely under UN mechanisms, including UNRWA”.