Security Council to vote on new ceasefire resolution
Draft demands unconditional release of all hostages
NEW YORK: The UN Security Council will vote today 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 Oct 7 attacks, approving only two of eight resolutions, with both dealing mainly with humanitarian aid to the devastated Gaza Strip.
Permanent council member and key Israel backer the United States has unequivocally supported Israel’s right to defend itself following the unprecedented attacks.
But with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepening, the United States has tempered its support for Israel over its conduct of the war against the Palestinian group.
The Gaza war began with an unprecedented attack on Oct 7 that resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians. Israel has vowed to destroy the group.
The Health Ministry in Gaza on Sunday put the total death toll in the territory at 32,226, most of them women and children.
The ministry said 72 people had been killed early Sunday, including at least 26 killed in air strikes on five homes in the southern city of Rafah.
Last Friday, the Security Council voted on a draft submitted by the United States that called for an “immediate” ceasefire linked to the release of hostages.
China and Russia vetoed the resolution, criticising it for stopping short of explicitly demanding Israel halt its campaign.
The new text, according to the version, demands an immediate ceasefire leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire.
It also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages as well as the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale.
The text is being put forward by nonpermanent members of the Security Council, which worked with the United States over the weekend to avoid a veto, according to diplomats.
“We expect, barring a last-minute twist, that the resolution will be adopted and that the United States will not vote against it,” said one diplomat.
Ahead of taking off for an official visit to Washington, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said his focus would include “preserving the qualitative military edge” and “our ability to obtain platforms and munitions”.
He is set 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 shelter since the start of the war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a major ground operation in Rafah was not necessary to deal with Hamas, and “there is no place” for civilians there to get out of harm’s way.