UN Security Council adopts Gaza ceasefire resolution

EghtesadOnline: The United Nations Security Council has demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli capitives as the United States abstained from the vote, Al Jazeera reported.

The remaining 14 council members voted for the resolution on Monday.

The resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends in two weeks, and also demands that Hamas free captives seized on October 7 when it led attacks on Israel.

“The bloodbath has continued for far too long,” said Amar Bendjama, the ambassador from Algeria, the Arab bloc’s current Security Council member and a sponsor of the resolution. “Finally, the Security Council is shouldering its responsibility.”

The US had repeatedly blocked Security Council resolutions that put pressure on Israel but has increasingly shown frustration with its ally as civilian casualties mount and the UN warns of impending famine in Gaza, Al Jazeera report added.

The Israeli regime says 253 Israelis were taken captive during the operation.

Given the duration of Ramadan, the truce demanded by the resolution would last for about two weeks.

The draft, however, says the truce should lead to a “lasting, sustainable ceasefire.”

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, responded to Washington’s abstention.

He said the move, which allowed the resolution to pass, “hurts both the war effort” and the effort to release the captives, according a statement by his office.

Netanyahu “made it clear last night that if the US withdraws from its principled position, he will not send the Israeli delegation to the US.”

“This is a clear retreat from the consistent position of the United States at the Security Council since the beginning of the war.” / Mehr