Somalia, Djibouti Welcome Gaza Ceasefire Deal, Urge Lasting Peace

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU/ DJIBOUTI: Somalia and Djibouti have welcomed the Gaza ceasefire agreement, hailing regional and international efforts aimed at ending months of conflict and easing the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Mogadishu supports the deal and reaffirmed its longstanding backing for Palestinian statehood.

“Somalia hopes that this agreement will serve as a genuine step towards achieving a just and comprehensive peace that ends the suffering of the Palestinian people and consolidates stability in the region,” the ministry said.

Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh also praised the mediation efforts of the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, urging swift and full implementation of the accord.

“We urge full implementation to secure peace, humanitarian access and a credible path to a two-state solution,” Guelleh said in a statement.

The truce was brokered on Thursday in Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, with Qatar, Egypt, the United States and Turkey acting as guarantors.

Under the 20-point plan, first announced on Sept. 29, Israel and Hamas agreed to halt hostilities, release prisoners, and begin reconstruction in Gaza, which has suffered heavy destruction after a year of Israeli bombardments.

Since October 2023, Israeli strikes have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Gaza health authorities. Large parts of the territory have been reduced to rubble, leaving residents facing famine and disease.