Achi news desk-
The UN Security Council will vote on Monday on a new draft resolution on an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza, after Russia and China vetoed an earlier text proposed by the United States.
The Council has been divided over the Israel-Hamas war since the October 7 attacks, approving only two of eight resolutions, both dealing mainly with humanitarian aid to the devastated Gaza Strip. Permanent member of the Council and key supporter of Israel the United States has unequivocally supported Israel’s right to defend itself following the unprecedented attacks by Hamas.
But with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepening, the United States has tempered its support for Israel over its conduct in the war against the Palestinian militant group. The Gaza war began with an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 that resulted in around 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli figures.
Israel has vowed to destroy the militants, who also took about 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead. The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Sunday put the total death toll in the territory at 32,226, most of them women and children. The ministry said 72 people were killed in the early hours of Sunday morning, including at least 26 killed in airstrikes on five homes in the southern city of Rafah.
Last Friday, the Security Council voted on a draft presented by the United States that called for an “immediate” ceasefire linked to the release of hostages. China and Russia vetoed the resolution, criticizing it for stopping short of specifically demanding that Israel halt its campaign.
UN distributions to northern Gaza
The new text, according to the version seen by AFP on Sunday, “demands an immediate ceasefire” for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, “leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire.” It also “demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages as well as “the lifting of all obstacles to the provision of large-scale humanitarian aid.”
The text is being tabled by non-permanent members of the Security Council, who worked with the US over the weekend to avoid a veto, according to diplomats speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity. . “We expect, except for a last-minute twist, that the resolution will be adopted and the United States will not vote against it,” one diplomat told AFP.
Before embarking on an official visit to Washington, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his focus would include “maintaining the qualitative military edge” and “our ability to obtain platforms and weapons of war.” He is about to meet Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and other senior US officials. A key source of tension between Israel and the United States has been the fate of Rafah, where around 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge since the start of the war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was no need for a major operation on the ground in Rafah to deal with Hamas, and that “there is no room” for civilians there to get out of harm’s way. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads a coalition that includes religious and ultra-nationalist parties, has vowed to press ahead with the Rafah invasion even without Washington’s support.
In Rafah, a 10-year-old displaced girl lamented the pain of losing her home and the uncertainty she faces. “I have the right to live as a little girl, like anywhere else in the world, in a safe place,” Rama told AFP in the temporary camp that has become her home. “I used to go to school safely, but now we don’t go to school because of the bombing, and when I go out of our home I’m very scared.”
Talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages have continued in Qatar, but the heads of the Israeli and US spy agencies involved in the talks have now left the Gulf emirate for consultations, he said. an informed source told AFP. One important point has been Hamas’ position that a temporary ceasefire must lead to a permanent Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a demand that Israel has rejected.
The United Nations agency for Palestinians said on Sunday that Israel has categorically banned it from distributing aid in northern Gaza, where the threat of famine is highest. “Despite the tragedy unfolding under our watch, the Israeli Authorities told the UN that they will no longer approve any @UNRWA food convoys to the north,” said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the agency, on X. “This is disgraceful and is being done deliberately to block life-saving aid during a man-made famine.” Israel did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment about Lazzarini’s statement.
‘Right to live’
Last week a UN-backed food security assessment warned that famine was projected to hit northern Gaza by May unless there was urgent intervention. Martin Griffiths, head of the UN humanitarian coordination office, said on X on Sunday that UNRWA “is the heartbeat of the humanitarian response in Gaza.” He added: “The decision to block his food convoy to the north only brings thousands closer to starvation. It must be revoked.”
On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged an end to the “non-stop nightmare” suffered by the 2.4 million people of Gaza in the territory’s worst-ever war. Israel has accused UNRWA staff members of participating in the October 7 attack and has called the agency a “front for Hamas.” Touma said that Israeli authorities on Sunday also rejected a request from the United Nations to send a team to Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza, where fighting has flared for almost a week, “to evacuate injured people.”
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)
