The United Nations Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution that called for expediting delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
However, the resolution excluded the original plea for an “urgent suspension of hostilities” between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, AP reported.
This comes as more than 20,000 Palestinians, including at least 8,000 children, have been killed since October 7 amid Israel’s war on the besieged region. The war, triggered after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel, has gone on for 11 weeks. Hamas’ attack on Israel had killed 1,200 people and the group had taken more than 200 hostages.
At Friday’s meeting of the 15-member Security Council, the United States continued to oppose the demand by most members for suspension of hostilities in Gaza. The US also insisted on removing a clause giving the United Nations exclusive control of humanitarian deliveries.
The resolution was adopted after more than a week of negotiations between the United States, the United Arab Emirates, on behalf of the Arab nations, and others.
It was adopted after the US vetoed an amendment proposed by Russia that would have restored the call to immediately suspend hostilities, AP reported.
Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, called the resolution “entirely toothless”. He also accused the United States of “shameful, cynical and irresponsible conduct” and resorting to tactics “of gross pressure, blackmail and twisting arms”.
The resolution, according to Russia, “would essentially be giving the Israeli armed forces complete freedom of movement for the clearing of the Gaza strip”.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, said that it took the Security Council 75 days “to finally utter the words ‘cessation of hostilities’,” AP reported. He added that the Palestinians and Arab nations supported the amendment that Russia had proposed.
The resolution calls for conditions to be created for a “sustainable cessation of hostilities”.
However, Mansour said that the resolution was a step in the right direction because of its important humanitarian provisions. “It must be implemented and must be accompanied by massive pressure for an immediate ceasefire,” he added.
Israel’s unprecedented air and ground strikes in Gaza have caused a humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory with nearly 85% of the population having been displaced, according to aid agencies.
A report by the United Nations and other agencies released on Thursday said that over half a million people in Gaza – a quarter of the territory’s population – are starving due to insufficient aid.
The Council’s resolution came at a time when the Israeli military is expanding its offensive in Gaza.
On Friday, Israel asked civilians, who had fled from northern Gaza, to leave their homes in al-Bureij, an urban refugee camp in the south, The Guardian reported. The military also said more ground troops would head to fight in the southern city of Khan Yunis.
On Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that 136 personnel from his organisation had been killed since October, something that they have never seen in the history of the United Nations.
“Most of our staff have been forced from their homes,” he said in a social media post. “I pay tribute to them and the thousands of aid workers risking their lives as they support civilians in Gaza.”
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