Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent a message to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, reaffirming his commitment to work with friendly countries to accelerate the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, which suffered significant destruction as a result of Israel's military operation.
Abbas, quoted by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, expressed “deep gratitude to Guterres for his firm stance on the inadmissibility of the displacement of the Palestinian people from their land“. According to the president, the UN Secretary-General is "committed to international law, which is the best way to establish security and peace in the region." In his letter to Guterres, Abbas called for "a categorical rejection of any plans for the forced displacement of Gazans to other countries, as well as any attempts to suspend the activities of the UN relief and relief agencies and the Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA)." He called on the international community to "provide UNRWA with the support it needs," stressing its "indispensable role in assisting Palestine refugees."
Abbas said he "continues to strive for a just peace based on the two-state solution (implying peaceful coexistence between the Palestinian and Israeli states) within the 1967 borders in accordance with international resolutions, and also to secure Palestine's full membership in the United Nations." He welcomed Guterres' efforts "to promote global peace and security and his unwavering support for the Palestinian people."