UNSC votes in favour of Israel-Hamas ceasefire resolution

The UN Security Council on Monday approved its first resolution endorsing a cease-fire plan aimed at ending the eight-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.The US-sponsored resolution welcomes a cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden that the United States says Israel has accepted. It calls on the militant Palestinian group Hamas, which initially said it viewed the proposal “positively,” to accept the three-phase plan.It urges Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”
The resolution — which was approved overwhelmingly with 14 of the 15 Security Council members voting in favour and Russia abstaining — also calls on Israel and Hamas "to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition".US deputy ambassador Robert Wood told reporters earlier on Monday that the United States wanted all 15 Security Council members to support what he described as “the best, most realistic opportunity to bring at least a temporary halt to this war”.Whether Israel and Hamas agree to the three-phase cease-fire plan remains in question, but the resolution's strong support in the UN's most powerful body puts added pressure on both parties to approve the proposal.

US has circulated another amended version of its UNSC resolution in support of Israel's latest ceasefire proposal ahead of tomorrow's expected vote

Clause stressing opposition to establishment of security buffer zones in Gaza has been removed following pushback from Israel (1/5) pic.twitter.com/jyoFfiMKX2

— Jacob Magid (@JacobMagid) June 10, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Biden presented only parts of the proposal and insisted that any talk of a permanent cease-fire before dismantling Hamas' military and governing capabilities is a nonstarter. The leaders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad met in Qatar on Monday to discuss the proposed cease-fire deal and said in a statement afterward that any deal must lead to a permanent cease-fire, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza, reconstruction and “a serious exchange deal” between hostages in Gaza and Palestinians held in Israeli jails.The war was sparked by Hamas' surprise October 7 attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mainly Israeli civilians, and saw about 250 others taken hostage. About 120 hostages remain, with 43 pronounced dead.Israel's military offensive has killed more than 36,700 Palestinians and wounded in excess of 83,000 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It has also destroyed about 80 per cent of Gaza's buildings, according to the UN.