The United States has circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a trip to the Middle East.
The draft states that “the Security Council determines that an immediate and sustained ceasefire is necessary to protect civilians on all sides,” while calling for “humanitarian assistance” and the release of “all remaining hostages.”
The United States has previously vetoed other draft resolutions, including a motion put forward by Algeria in February calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
But Washington has stepped up pressure on Tel Aviv in recent weeks, warning on Monday that an Israeli invasion of the city of Rafah would be a “mistake.”
Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza is approaching 32,000 after Israel launched a series of air strikes on the besieged enclave on Wednesday night.
Referring to the U.S. call for a ceasefire in Gaza, Blinken said: “In fact, we have now actually introduced a resolution to the United Nations Security Council that does call for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, and we very much hope that countries will support it.
“Of course, we support Israel and its right to self-defense… but at the same time, we have to pay attention to the civilians who are harmed and suffering tremendously, we have to focus on them, make them a priority, protect civilians, provide them with humanitarian assistance .”
The U.S. secretary of state is on a diplomatic trip to the Middle East and spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shortly after arriving in Riyadh on Wednesday. He plans to travel to Egypt on Thursday and Israel on Friday.
Ceasefire talks collapsed last week after Hamas’s offer to release Israeli hostages in exchange for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners was rejected by Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday the demands were “unrealistic.”
Negotiations between the two sides have been tense, with Hamas calling for a permanent ceasefire, while Israel insists on the “total elimination of Hamas.”
Meanwhile, the British government has renewed its call for a permanent moratorium on the conflict. British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron told reporters on Wednesday during a visit to Thailand: “It is vital that we work to transform this ceasefire into a permanent and sustainable ceasefire.
“We will only do this if a lot of conditions are met… We have to get the Hamas leadership out of Gaza, we have to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.”
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