Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Saturday urged the removal of what he described as Israeli-imposed obstacles to advancing the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire.
"We emphasize the need to lift all obstacles imposed by the Israeli occupation on the implementation of the provisions related to the second phase of the agreement," Abbas said, in a speech read by his prime minister Mohammed Mustafa at an African Union summit in Ethiopia.
This included the work of a technocratic committee established to oversee the day-to-day governance of Gaza, he added.
Removal of the obstacles was needed to "ensure continuity of services, coordinate humanitarian efforts and enable a swift recovery", the president said.
Abbas accused Israel of "continuing to violate" the ceasefire agreement that took effect in October and ended Israel's two-year war that began on Oct. 8, 2023. Palestinian authorities say the conflict killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, wounded over 171,000 others and caused widespread destruction affecting 90% of civilian infrastructure. The U.N. estimates reconstruction costs at approximately $70 billion.
