A US-drafted resolution endorsing President Joe Biden’s proposal for a truce between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, was approved by the UN Security Council on Monday.
Russia did not cast a vote, and the other fourteen council members supported the proposal. Sunday marked the finalization of the US draft following six days of council negotiations.
On May 31, Biden unveiled a three-phase ceasefire plan that he claimed was the result of Israeli initiative. A few members of the Security Council questioned if Israel had agreed to the plan to put a stop to the violence in Gaza.
The fresh cease-fire plan is welcomed by the resolution, which “urges both parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition, and calls upon Hamas to also accept it.”
Before the vote, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield informed the council, “We’re waiting on Hamas to agree to the ceasefire deal it claims to want.” “With every passing day, needless suffering continues.”
The plan is further explained in depth in the resolution, which states that “the ceasefire will still continue as long as negotiations continue, provided that phase one negotiations take longer than six weeks.”
In March, the council called for an immediate end to hostilities and the unconditional release of all Hamas captives.
US, Egyptian, and Qatari negotiators have been attempting to mediate a truce for months. According to Hamas, Israel should leave the 2.3 million-person enclave and the conflict in the Gaza Strip should come to an end permanently.
Israel is taking revenge on Gaza’s ruling party, Hamas, for an attack carried out by its terrorists on October 7.
Israeli estimates show that on October 7, around 1,200 individuals were killed and over 250 were held hostage by Hamas. It’s estimated that there are still around 100 hostages held captive in Gaza.
More than 37,000 Palestinians were killed in Israel’s air, ground, and sea assault on Palestinian territory, according to Gaza health officials.
