Palestinian UN ambassador calls for pause to become 'end' to Israel-Hamas war

UNITED NATIONS/UNITED STATES - The Palestinian UN ambassador called Wednesday for a "definitive end" to Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, warning that a truce to release hostages "cannot be just a pause before the massacre starts all over again."

Riyad Mansour spoke after Israel and Hamas announced a deal on Wednesday allowing at least 50 hostages and scores of Palestinian prisoners to be freed, while offering besieged Gaza residents a four-day truce after weeks of all-out war.

"Hundreds of Palestinian children will not be killed thanks to this truce," Mansour told the UN Security Council.

"We owe it to them and to all the civilians in the Gaza Strip to put a definitive end to this criminal assault on the Palestinian people.

He thanked the nations of Qatar and Egypt for their roles in paving the way for the deal, and called on all those who contributed to "stopping this madness" to work to "to ensure a way forward that averts the resumption of this aggression."

"This cannot be just a pause before the massacre starts all over again," he said.

Mansour denounced Israel's "occupation and racial discrimination, apartheid" against Palestinians, and said there was no military solution to the conflict.

Instead, Palestinians' "inalienable rights" must be protected, he said.

Meanwhile Palestinians "do not justify the killing of a single Israeli civilian," he said, adding: "No-one should condone atrocities based on the identity of the perpetrator."

Israelis and Palestinians must not turn a blind eye to each other's wounds and histories, but instead build respect on a "common vision of the future where all can live... not where one's life is at the expense of another."

Israeli UN ambassador Gilad Erdan responded by saying that, as soon as the truce ends, "we will continue striving towards our goals with full force."

"We will not stop until we eliminate all of Hamas' terror capabilities and ensure that they can no longer rule Gaza and threaten both Israeli civilians and the women and children of Gaza," he said. - AFP