UN chief urges Hamas to proceed with hostage release; says return to war would be ‘immense tragedy’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the Elysee Palace, during the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, February 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the Elysee Palace, during the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, February 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urges Hamas to continue with the planned release of hostages, a day after the Palestinian terror group announced its intention to halt the exchange.

“We must avoid at all costs the resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to an immense tragedy,” he says in a statement.

Hamas on Monday announced it would stop releasing Israeli hostages until further notice over what it called Israeli violations of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, raising the risk of reigniting the conflict.

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