In its most recent effort to put pressure on Israel to stop its assault in the beleaguered region, the UN Security Council is scheduled to vote on a second draft resolution asking for a ceasefire in Gaza on Wednesday.
Israel’s principal ally, the United States, might, however, halt the draft.
“An immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” and “the immediate and unrestricted release of all hostages” are requests made in the most recent draft of the resolution.
Israel is upset by the phrasing, and there are concerns that the US would reject it.
“We can’t allow the UN to tie up the hands of the State of Israel from protecting its citizens, and we are going to keep fighting until we return all the abducted men and women home,” said Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, in response to the “shameful” passage.
Robert Wood, the deputy US ambassador, stated, “For us, there must be a connection between a ceasefire and the release of hostages.”
“It has been and continues to be our core stance since the beginning.”
According to an AFP count of Israeli government estimates, Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, a spectacular cross-border incursion that claimed 1,206 lives, primarily civilians, was the catalyst for the war.
As per the Gaza’s health ministry, 43,972 people—mostly civilians—have died as a result of the Israeli attack that followed. The numbers are deemed credible by the United Nations.
The Israeli military claims that 34 of the 251 captives taken during the October 7 raid are dead, while 97 are still in Gaza.
The conflict has created a humanitarian crisis, displacing nearly all of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.
