United States calls for UN Security Council vote on halting violence in Gaza region
President Joe Biden unveiled a tripartite plan towards the end of May to transition from a brief truce to an end of conflict in the Gaza Strip. This plan consists of an "instant and total" ceasefire, the liberation of Israelis detained by the radical Islamic Hamas in exchange for Palestinian detainees, a withdrawal of the Israeli military from densely populated areas of Gaza, and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The UN Security Council must not "overlook this opportunity" and should instead "heartily endorse" the arrangement, stated US Ambassador Evans. The US has vetoed numerous resolutions in the past calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The motion put forward by the US states that Israel has already consented to this plan, while the Hamas is urged to do the same. Both sides are encouraged to "unconditionally and immediately" implement the steps elaborated in the plan.
The spark that ignited the Gaza War was Hamas' massive offensive against Israel on October 7, which allegedly resulted in 1194 fatalities and 251 hostages being taken in Gaza, according to Israeli reports. 116 hostages are still held captive by the Hamas, per the Israeli army, with 41 of these being reportedly deceased.
In retaliation to the Hamas' massive attack, Israel has been carrying out a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip since then. According to the health ministry, managed by the Hamas and thus unable to be independently verified, over 37,000 Palestinians have died so far.
