US Presses UN Security Council To Support Gaza Ceasefire Plan

To end the eight-month conflict in Gaza, release all hostages, and provide substantial relief to the severely damaged region, the United States has pleaded with the UN Security Council to endorse President Joe Biden’s three-phase proposal.

The US, according to US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, sent a draft resolution to the other 14 members of the council, asking them to support the idea of putting an end to the dispute.

“Numerous leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan and we call on the Security Council to join them in calling for implementation of this deal without delay and further conditions,” she said in a statement.

According to the Associated Press, a brief draft resolution that expressed support for the agreement announced by Mr. Biden on May 31st and urged Hamas to “accept it fully and implement its terms without delay and condition,” was retrieved. According to Hamas, it sees the plan “positively.” The deal’s acceptance by Israel is not mentioned.

When Mr. Biden made the statement, he referred to it as an offer from Israel that calls for the release of all captives held by Hamas in exchange for an “enduring ceasefire” and an Israeli departure from Gaza.

According to local media, Israeli Prime Minister; Benjamin Netanyahu informed his hardline government allies on Monday that Mr. Biden’s approach would enable Israel to achieve its objective of crushing Hamas.

If Mr. Netanyahu accepts an agreement that does not destroy Hamas, the ultranationalists have threatened to topple his administration.

On Monday, Mr. Netanyahu informed the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of parliament that while Mr. Biden had provided a sketch of the agreement, it lacked specifics and had “gaps.”

A “complete ceasefire,” the evacuation of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, and the release of some hostages, including women, the elderly, and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, are all part of the first phase of the proposed deal, according to the US president. This phase is expected to last for six weeks.

At this point, American captives would be freed, and the families of the dead hostages would receive their remains back. There would be a 600-truck-per-day influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

During the second phase, Israeli forces would leave Gaza and all remaining living hostages, including soldiers, would be freed. According to Mr. Biden, the interim truce will turn into a “cessation of hostilities permanently” if Hamas fulfills its obligations. On October 7th, almost 250 people—mostly Israeli civilians—were kidnapped; during a brief ceasefire in late November and early December, over 100 of them were released.

According to Israel, roughly 80 captives and the bodies of about 43 more are thought to be in captivity.

Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, reports that over 36,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombardments and ground offensives in the territory held by Hamas. The commencement of a significant reconstruction of Gaza is mandated under the third phase of Mr. Biden’s plan, which will take decades to complete given the devastation wrought by the conflict. To achieve a permanent stop of hostilities, the draft resolution emphasizes how crucial it is for Israel and Hamas to uphold the agreement once it is reached and “calls upon all member states and the United Nations to support its implementation.”