UN Security Council to vote on new Gaza ceasefire resolution

The United Nations Security Council will vote on a new draft resolution on an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza on Monday after Russia and China vetoed an earlier resolution proposed by the United States.

The Security Council has been divided over the issue of Israel’s war with Hamas, approving only two of eight resolutions since the Oct. 7 attacks, mainly on humanitarian aid to the devastated Gaza Strip.

As a permanent member of the Security Council and a major supporter of Israel, the United States has unequivocally supported Israel’s right to defend itself in the wake of unprecedented attacks by Hamas.

But as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens, the United States has weakened its support for Israel over its war against Palestinian militant groups.

The war in Gaza began with an unprecedented attack by Hamas on October 7, which killed about 1,160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data.

Israel has vowed to eliminate the militants, and they have also held about 250 hostages. Israel believes that about 130 of them are still in Gaza, and 33 of them are suspected to be dead.

The health ministry in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Sunday put the total death toll in the area at 32,226, mostly women and children.

The ministry said 72 people were killed early Sunday, including at least 26 in airstrikes on five houses in the southern city of Rafah.

On Friday, the Security Council voted on a draft submitted by the United States calling for an “immediate” ceasefire and the release of hostages.

China and Russia vetoed the resolution, criticizing it for not explicitly requiring Israel to halt its actions.

UN delivers supplies to northern Gaza

The new text “calls for an immediate ceasefire” in response to the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, “leading to a permanent and sustainable ceasefire,” according to a version seen by AFP on Sunday.

It also “demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” and the “removal of all obstacles to the large-scale delivery of humanitarian assistance.”

Diplomats told AFP on condition of anonymity that the text was proposed by non-permanent members of the Security Council, which worked with the United States over the weekend to avoid a veto.

“We expect that, barring any last-minute surprises, the resolution will be passed and the United States will not vote against it,” a diplomat told AFP.

Ahead of an official visit to Washington, Israeli Defense Minister Yov Galant said his focus would include “maintaining a qualitative military advantage” and “our ability to acquire platforms and munitions.”

He will meet with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and other senior U.S. officials.

A key source of tension between Israel and the United States is the fate of Rafah, where some 1.5 million Palestinians have sought asylum since the war began.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a large-scale ground operation in Rafah was not necessary to deal with Hamas and that civilians there had “no place” to escape harm.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads a coalition that includes religious and ultra-nationalist parties, has vowed to go ahead with Rafah’s invasion even without Washington’s support.

In Rafah, a displaced 10-year-old girl lamented the pain of losing her home and the uncertainty she faced.

“I have the right to live as a little girl in a safe place, just like anywhere else in the world,” Rama told AFP in a makeshift camp at her home.

“I used to go to school safely, but now we don’t go to school because of the explosions and I’m scared when I walk out of the house.”

Negotiations to secure a truce in exchange for the release of hostages are continuing in Qatar, but the heads of Israeli and US spy agencies involved in the negotiations have now left the Gulf emirate for consultations, sources familiar with the matter told AFP.

A major sticking point has been Hamas’s position that a temporary truce must lead to a permanent Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a demand Israel has rejected.

The U.N. Palestinian agency said on Sunday that Israel has explicitly banned it from delivering aid in northern Gaza, where the threat of famine is greatest.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on X: “While the tragedy unfolds before our eyes, the Israeli authorities have informed the United Nations that they will no longer authorize any @UNRWA food convoys to travel North.”

“This is outrageous and a deliberate obstruction of life-saving aid during a man-made famine.” Israel did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment on Lazzarini’s statement.

“right to survival”

Last week, a UN-backed food security assessment warned that famine is expected to occur in northern Gaza in May unless urgent intervention is taken.

Martin Griffiths, director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said on Sunday that UNRWA “is at the heart of Gaza’s humanitarian response.”

He added: “The decision to block food shipments to the north will only bring thousands of people closer to famine. The decision must be reversed.”
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday urged an end to the “non-stop nightmare” endured by Gaza’s 2.4 million people in the worst war the territory has ever seen.

Israel accused UNRWA staff of involvement in the October 7 attack and called the agency “a front for Hamas.”
Touma said Israeli authorities on Sunday also rejected a United Nations request to send a team to “evacuate the injured” to Shifa hospital in northern Gaza, where fighting has raged for nearly a week.