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Ant\u00f3nio Guterres expressed his “profound relief” that the hostages had been freed, two years since they were among some 250 taken during Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023, before highlighting their “immense suffering”.<\/p>\n
The UN Secretary-General’s comments came as he headed to Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh along with world leaders for the Gaza peace summit.<\/strong> The international gathering was convened after Israeli forces pulled back from parts of Gaza, in line with an agreement between Israel and Hamas, brokered in Egypt by US mediators and representatives from Qatar and Turk\u00efye. \u00a0<\/p>\n In a message on X, Mr. Guterres reiterated his call for the release of the bodies of the deceased hostages and urged “all parties to build on this momentum and to honour their commitments under the ceasefire to end the nightmare in Gaza”.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, UN aid agencies reported significant positive developments in getting aid into Gaza.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur humanitarian scale-up in Gaza is well underway,\u201d said UN humanitarian agency OCHA, which noted that it had secured Israeli approval for 190,000 tons of food, shelter items, medicine and other supplies to enter the Strip, 20,000 more than previously agreed.<\/p>\n For the first time since March, cooking gas has been allowed to enter the Strip.<\/p>\n In addition, \u201cmore tents for displaced families, frozen meat, fresh fruit, flour and medicines also crossed into Gaza throughout the day on Sunday”, OCHA said in any update.<\/p>\n Crucially, the aid agency reported that its workers and partners were now able to move more easily \u201cin multiple areas\u201d \u2013 a welcome development after constant access restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities.<\/p>\n This has allowed aid teams to pre-position medical and emergency supplies \u201cto where they are needed most\u201d, the UN agency said, in addition to assessing key roads for explosive hazards and supporting displaced families in flood-prone areas ahead of winter.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is just the beginning. As part of our plan for the first 60 days of the ceasefire, the UN and our partners will expand the scale and scope of our operations to deliver life-saving aid and services to virtually everyone across Gaza,\u201d OCHA continued.<\/p>\n The development is part of the wider humanitarian plan to scale up essential services across food, health, water, shelter, and education, outlined by UN emergency relief chief Tom Fletcher. Its key elements:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Two years of extreme violence and constant Israeli bombardment have left many families without homes to return to.<\/p>\n The violence has also created vast physical and psychological needs across Gaza which UN agencies are already addressing.<\/p>\n UNICEF, the UN Children\u2019s Fund, underscored that \u201call one million\u201d youngsters in the Gaza Strip need mental health and psychosocial support.<\/strong><\/p>\n The war has devastated youngsters\u2019 sense of safety, their development and wellbeing, the UN agency insisted with many displaying \u201csevere stress symptoms\u201d such as withdrawal, nightmares and bedwetting.<\/p>\n To help children heal and overcome their fears, UNICEF supports a self-help recovery programme in which trainers show children how to employ stress-management techniques to release and process painful thoughts and images.<\/p>\n One device is an imaginary \u201csafety button\u201d that children can press when they feel overwhelmed by their situation.<\/p>\n \u201cWhenever I felt scared, I would put my hand on the safety button and take a deep breath in and out. It made me feel so relieved,\u201d said Anas, 15, one of the children helped by the scheme.<\/p>\n In 2025, UNICEF said that eight in 10 of the youngsters participating in the programme showed reduced symptoms of traumatic stress.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n190,000 tonnes of aid to deliver<\/h2>\n
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Symptoms of war<\/strong><\/h2>\n