New York: Recent Updates - Un Security Council endorses proposal for truce in Gaza Strip.
The UN Security Council has shown its support for a multi-phase ceasefire plan in the Gaza conflict raised by US President Joe Biden. On Monday, this proposal was accepted by the most influential UN body based in New York, with 14 member countries voting in its favor. Russia, on the other hand, abstained.
This is the first time the council has endorsed a specific ceasefire plan since the start of the war. The American ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, stated after the vote, "Today we voted for peace."
A Three-Part Approach to Ending the Clashes
The resolution promotes a strategy suggested by Biden, which prioritizes ending the violence in the Gaza Strip in three stages. So far, Hamas has not given its approval to this plan, and there has been no clear public endorsement of it from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
The binding resolution states that Israel has agreed to the plan and calls on Hamas to follow suit, urging all sides to follow through with the plan "as soon as possible and without any conditions."
Biden's plan, presented at the end of May, calls for an initial six-week unconditional truce. During this period, a group of hostages would be released. Palestinians held in Israeli jails would then be freed. In the subsequent phase, the fighting would end permanently, and the remaining hostages would be freed. In the final section of the plan, rebuilding efforts in the Gaza Strip would commence.
Al-Jazeera news outlet mentioned later that Hamas had welcomed the Security Council's resolution and affirmed its intention to continue negotiating indirectly for a peace agreement. However, this does not signify a formal acceptance of the proposed three-tier plan.
The European Union demanded the prompt implementation of the plan, according to Josep Borrell, EU Foreign Policy Chief's statement in the evening. The Union backs the comprehensive plan put forward by Biden.
This is the eleventh time since the beginning of the Gaza Strip conflict that the UN Security Council has voted on a resolution relating to the confrontation. Only four of these resolutions have been adopted.
In the resolution passed, the UN Security Council reaffirms its commitment to the two-state solution, where Israel and Palestine can coexist peacefully. It's important, according to the resolution, to bring the West Bank and Gaza Strip under the control of the Palestinian Authority once again. Netanyahu's administration is opposed to this.
Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel's southern region on October 7, resulting in more than 1,200 casualties, including over 250 captives. The attack, which sparked the Gaza War, has led to over 37,000 Palestinian deaths and caused injuries to more than 84,500 people, based on the figures provided by the health authorities. These figures, which do not differentiate between combatants and civilians, cannot be independently verified.
The Israeli army has faced an onslaught of international criticism due to its actions in Gaza and the high number of civilian casualties. Aid organizations have reported that the humanitarian situation for the nearly two million people living in Gaza is dire.
