A Palestinian girl crawls through the rubble of an Israeli special forces operation in the Nuserat camp in the central Gaza Strip on June 9, 2024, a day after ongoing clashes between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group.
Eyad Baba | AFP | Getty Images
The United Nations Security Council adopted The U.S.-drafted ceasefire seeks to end eight months of bloody fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The draft resolution, finalized Sunday by the 15-member committee after nearly a week of negotiations, has been approved by President Joe Biden.
To pass, the resolution needs at least nine votes in favor, and countries with the power to reframe any ceasefire proposal – the United States, France, Britain, China or Russia – are not allowed to cast a veto.
China did nothing to stop it and Russia abstained from the vote.
“Today, we voted for peace,” said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas Greenfield.
March, China and Russia veto Gaza ceasefire resolutionSaid this would give Israel a green light to attack the city of Rafah. Previously, the United States vetoed three draft resolutions, two of which called for an immediate ceasefire.
Biden Announced on May 31, Israel presented a three-part plan that would ultimately lead to a permanent ceasefire in Israel. Gaza,as well as release all hostages They have been held there since Hamas launched a bloody raid on Israel on October 7.
Since then, Israeli forces have killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, including thousands of women and children, according to Gaza health authorities.
Nate Evans, a spokesman for the U.S. mission to the United Nations, said on Sunday it was important for the Security Council to pressure Hamas to agree to proposals that Israel had accepted.
“Israel has accepted this offer and the Security Council has the opportunity to speak with one voice and call on Hamas to do the same,” he said.
But there are already signs that Israel may not agree to the proposal.
this Saturday’s dramatic rescue of four hostages Top Biden administration officials strengthen Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to continue invading Gaza rather than agree to a ceasefire told NBC News on Sunday.
Hamas, on the other hand, said in a statement that it “welcomes what is contained and confirmed in the Security Council resolution on a permanent ceasefire in Gaza”.
There are fears that Israeli rescue operations have resulted in the death of large numbers of Palestinian civilians Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar, who remains opposed to a deal with Israel despite intense pressure from Qatar and Egypt to reach a deal, will take a tougher stance on new ceasefire proposals.
The EU also applauded the vote. “We urge both parties to accept and implement the three-phase proposal,” it said in a statement.
The first stage of resolution, According to the United Nationsseeking “an immediate, comprehensive and complete ceasefire, the release of hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, the return of some of the remains of slain hostages, and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners.”
It also called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from “densely populated areas” of Gaza, the return of Palestinians to their homes, and the “safe and effective” distribution of humanitarian aid.
The second phase includes a permanent end to hostilities “with a view to the release of all other hostages still in Gaza and the full withdrawal of troops from Gaza”.
The third phase will mark the beginning of “a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza”, with the last remains of the hostages killed in the Gaza Strip being Return to Israel.
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“The ceasefire will continue as long as negotiations continue,” and the Security Council rejected “any attempt to alter the population or territory of Gaza.”
As the Security Council began voting on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel to, among other things, meet with retired general Benny Gantz.
Ganz, a Centrist member of Israel’s war cabinetresigned on Sunday after accusing Netanyahu of Mismanagement of the war and refusal to reach agreement on the situation in Gaza after the end of hostilities.
The Biden administration has tried to persuade Gantz to stay in government because his departure would force Netanyahu to rely more heavily on far-right members of his coalition who oppose a ceasefire with Hamas.
Before leaving, Blinken told reporters at a press conference in Cairo that it was up to the Israelis to decide who would enter the government. However, he added that if there is no ceasefire in Gaza, three scenarios could arise – all bad.
“Either Israel has to stay, but it says it doesn’t want to do that, and we believe it can’t, and we will be held accountable in Gaza,” Blinken said.
Second, it could lead to a “major insurgency” that could last for years, he said.
In the end, Blinken said, “If there is no plan, it means either Hamas is back, or we have a complete vacuum and are left with nothing but chaos, lawlessness, crime, jihadist groups and so on.”
Israel says that on October 7, Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 250 people hostage. including five Americans: Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Omer Neutra and Keith Siegel.