UN Security Council backs plan for Israel-Hamas ceasefire
A Israel-Hamas ceasefire proposal by President Joe Biden has won support from the UN Security Council, which urges the Palestinian militants to accept the deal.
Hamas welcomed the adoption of the US-drafted resolution and said in a statement that it is ready to co-operate with mediators over implementing the principles of the plan.
Russia abstained from the United Nations vote, while the remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favour of the resolution supporting a three-phase ceasefire plan laid out by Biden on May 31 that he described as an Israeli initiative.
āToday we voted for peace,ā US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council after the vote.
The resolution welcomes the new ceasefire proposal, states that Israel has accepted it, calls on Hamas to agree to it and āurges both parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without conditionā.
Algeria, the only Arab member of the council, supported the resolution because āwe believe it can represent a step forward toward an immediate and lasting ceasefireā, Algeriaās UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama told the council.
āIt offers a glimmer of hope to the Palestinians,ā he said. āItās time to halt the killing.ā
The resolution also goes into detail about the proposal, and spells out that āif the negotiations take longer than six weeks for phase one, the ceasefire will still continue as long as negotiations continueā.
Thomas-Greenfield said the vote showed Hamas that the international community was united.
āUnited behind a deal that will save lives and help Palestinian civilians in Gaza start to rebuild and heal. United behind a deal that will reunite hostages with their families, after eight months in captivity,ā she said.
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The council in March demanded for an immediate ceasefire and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas.
For months, negotiators from the US, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to mediate a ceasefire. Hamas says it wants a permanent end to the war in the Gaza Strip and Israeli withdrawal from the enclave of 2.3 million people.
Israel is retaliating against Hamas, which rules Gaza, over an October 7 attack by its militants.
More than 1200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, according to Israeli tallies. More than 100 hostages are believed to remain captive in Gaza.
Israel launched an air, ground and sea assault on the Palestinian territory, killing more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
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