United Nations (UN) Secretary\u2011General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres has welcomed the ceasefire as an important step towards de\u2011escalation, though the situation on the ground remains fragile. Reports of continued Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon have underscored concerns that the truce may not hold across the wider region.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has meanwhile raised alarm over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr Hanan Balkhy, said access to critical healthcare has been severely disrupted following the suspension of medical evacuations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Evacuations were halted after a WHO\u2011contracted worker was killed in a recent security incident. Balkhy warned that the safety of health workers is directly linked to the survival of patients. \u201cWhen health workers are not safe, patients are also at risk,\u201d she said, adding that the suspension has cut off vital treatment pathways for people needing specialised care outside the enclave.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
WHO said it continues to support health services and emergency preparedness across the region but warned that persistent insecurity is further limiting access to lifesaving care for Gaza\u2019s most vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The broader consequences of the conflict have been far\u2011reaching. Civilian infrastructure across the region has sustained heavy damage, including bridges, roads, schools and medical facilities. Supply disruptions have also driven up prices of food, fuel and medicines, affecting millions beyond the immediate conflict zone.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Welcoming the ceasefire, UN Office for Project Services Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva said it could bring much\u2011needed relief to populations battered by weeks of violence. \u201cThe past six weeks have brought havoc and grief, with thousands killed and injured,\u201d he said. \u201cThis pause in fighting will give people a chance to breathe.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, Moreira da Silva stressed that the ceasefire must hold and evolve into a lasting political solution. \u201cThis ceasefire must pave the way to long\u2011term stability, justice and peace across the Middle East,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is time, and it is long overdue.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":31141,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[78,26],"class_list":["post-31140","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"After nearly 40 days of intense hostilities across the Middle East, a two\u2011week ceasefire between the United States (US) and Iran has been announced, offering a potential pause in a conflict marked by rising civilian casualties and widespread damage to critical infrastructure.","published_date":"","news_description":"After nearly 40 days of intense hostilities across the Middle East, a two\u2011week ceasefire between the United States (US) and Iran has been announced, offering a potential pause in a conflict marked by rising civilian casualties and widespread damage to critical infrastructure.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31142,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/31140\/revisions\/31142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=31140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}