A UN human rights expert has said that peace in Gaza can only be achieved through justice, accountability and respect for dignity, warning that the current ceasefire lacks a clear framework for transitional justice.
Bernard Duhaime, the UN special rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, said on Wednesday that the halt of Israel's carnage in Gaza and the release of hostages "offer a glimmer of hope," but emphasised that peace "is a path to engage on" and "cannot be imposed."
"It must rather be based on a clear commitment to justice and be built on the recognition of the dignity of all involved, through inclusive dialogue with the full participation of Palestinians," he said.
Duhaime said Monday's Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, raised hopes for lasting peace, but warned that "without a clear transitional justice roadmap, the plan risks becoming a superficial arrangement that fails to address the deep wounds inflicted on generations of victims and raises further risks for the region."
He called for truth-telling, accountability, reparations and guarantees of non-repetition, stressing that "occupation and oppression must end now" and that "a durable resolution to such a conflict demands a bold commitment to justice."
Threats of resuming genocide
His comments came as the Israeli defence minister warned Israel could resume the carnage in the blockaded enclave, ordering the army to prepare a "plan to crush" Hamas.
"If Hamas refuses to comply with the agreement, Israel, in coordination with the United States, will resume fighting and act to achieve a total defeat of Hamas, to change the reality in Gaza and achieve all the objectives of the war," a statement from Israel Katz's office said.
The US President Donald Trump also said Israel could return to Palestine’s Gaza to continue its genocidal war "as soon as I say the word."
"Israel will return to those streets as soon as I say the word. If Israel could go in and knock the crap out of them, they'd do that," Trump was quoted as saying to CNN in a brief telephone call, reiterating that Hamas should give up their weapons.
Later, a US senior official said Hamas aims to honour the deal.
"We continue to hear from them that they intend to honour the deal. They want to see the deal completed in that regard," one of the advisers told reporters on condition of anonymity when asked if Hamas would stick to the agreement.
"There was a lot of disappointment and outrage when only four bodies were returned, and they could have just said, you know, we're moving on," the adviser added.
"But they returned bodies the next day and then the next day, as quickly as we give them intelligence."
