Statement by Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC Near and Middle East Director

"The International Committee of the Red Cross welcomes this ceasefire after 11 intense days of torment, death and destruction for civilians in Gaza and in Israel. The focus now must be on support for reconstruction and recovery. The damage inflicted in less than two weeks will take years, if not decades, to rebuild.

We have seen that every conflict takes people in Gaza to a level lower. After each cycle of violence, they never have a possibility to fully recover, causing huge frustration and a real crisis of hope.