New Zealand welcomes Middle East peace deal

New Zealand welcomes the announcement of the first phase of the US-led peace deal between Israel and Hamas, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.

"Over the past two years, both Israelis and Palestinians have suffered immensely," Mr Peters says. "Today is a positive first step in bringing that suffering to an end."

"We commend the efforts of the parties involved in the negotiations, including the US, Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye.

"We said in New York two weeks ago that countries with leverage over the situation needed to step up and show leadership. We commend them for doing just that.

"We have long called for the release of all the hostages and for a ceasefire, so that the immense suffering can end. The parties must now deliver on their promises. Hamas needs to release all of the hostages and Israel must withdraw their troops to the agreed-upon line.

"This is an essential first step towards achieving lasting peace. We urge Israel and Hamas to continue working towards a complete resolution.

"There has been a lot of protest in New Zealand over the past two years relating to the situation in Gaza. We look forward to all those protestors, and their political allies in Parliament, joining the Government today in applauding the deal that has been struck," Mr Peters says.