Ban Ki-moon urges ‘maximum restraint’ after Israel-Hamas ceasefire

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in Sanaa on Nov. 19. Photo by Khaled Abdullah/Reuters

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Israel and Hamas to stick to pledges under a cease-fire deal which came into effect on Wednesday to end the eight-day conflict around the Gaza Strip.

"We urge the parties who agreed to the ceasefire to keep their promises. There may be challenges implementing this agreement," Ban told reporters after talks with King Abdullah at the monarch's residence in the Jordanian capital.

Ban urged the two sides to exercise "maximum restraint."