‘Every day matters now’ for ‘brighter’ future for Palestinians: US envoy

US envoy to the UN Mike Waltz told the Security Council on Tuesday that “every day matters right now” in efforts to secure a lasting peace for Palestinians.

“Every day we either move closer to a future where Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank live in freedom and prosperity at peace with Israel, or we drift back towards chaos, rockets, hostages, and rubble,” said Waltz, adding that Washington is working every day toward a “brighter vision.”

Claiming that there are negotiations between Hamas and Israel amid a Gaza ceasefire, he said: “Since the ceasefire, we have delivered significant concrete improvements to humanitarian access and aid delivery in Gaza. We’re pushing every day to make that process better through the civil-military coordination center, and we are pushing every day to expand it.”

“There is a pathway to peace,” he said, adding that financing and partners for Gaza’s reconstruction are ready and waiting.

He highlighted a United Arab Emirates-organized mass wedding for 300 couples in the Gaza Strip last week, attended by 20,000 people, as “a glimpse of that future.”

“There is a path to prosperity,” he added.