Major non-governmental organizations are calling for an extension of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to a four-day truce in which the Palestinian group will release 50 hostages taken on October 7.

The agreement brokered by Qatar is the most positive development so far in the conflict that began on October 7.

But Amnesty International’s Paul O’Brien told a conference of major non-governmental organizations that the four-day humanitarian break was “not enough and certainly not enough from a human rights perspective.”

Jason Lee, director of Save the Children in the Palestinian territories, said that while the truce was “a welcome step in the right direction, it cannot replace a ceasefire.”

“There needs to be a ceasefire from an operational and security point of view,” he added.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell previously told the United Nations Security Council that the Gaza Strip is “the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.”

The war between Israel and Hamas began after a surprise attack by a Palestinian Islamist group in Israel on October 7, when about 1,200 people were killed. people.

About 240 Israelis and foreigners are believed to be held hostage by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Jewish state, a four-day recess will be announced to facilitate the release of the hostages. But Israel has warned that the deal does not amount to an end to the war.

Israel responded to the October 7 attack with massive bombings and ground operations in the Gaza Strip, during which, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, 14,100 people have already died. people, including thousands of children.

Joel Weiler, chief executive of the medical charity Medecins du Monde, said the truce could offer some respite.

“We might be able to bring medicine, fuel, but we won’t be able to properly control it and reach the people who need it,” he added.

Danila Zizi, the Palestinian Territories director of Handicap International, agreed, saying the temporary ceasefire “is nowhere near enough to reach the population in need.”

“We cannot feed and take care of two million people in four hours or four days,” she said.