Gaza ceasefire: US vetoes UN resolution – news.ORF.at

Thirteen of the council’s 15 members voted in favor of the draft resolution in New York on Friday evening. The United States vetoed it, and Great Britain boycotted it. Similar efforts have previously failed due to opposition from Washington. The US has always stood behind Israel and said in a resolution that such developments could undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts.

In a rare move, UN Secretary-General Guterres called for a humanitarian ceasefire. UN He invoked Article 99 of the Charter, which had not been invoked by anyone in this capacity for decades. According to the article, the UN The Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Council “any matter which, in his opinion, may endanger the maintenance of international peace and security”. Israel criticized Guterres’ move.

A stern plea from Guterres

With constant bombardment, lack of shelter and lack of basic necessities for survival, he expects that “public order will soon collapse completely due to the desperate situation, and even limited humanitarian assistance will become impossible.”

Nowhere in Gaza is safe. He demanded that Islamist Hamas immediately release all Israeli hostages taken to the Gaza Strip after the October 7 massacre.

The draft resolution described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” and called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”. Public safety demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.

Blinken: Israel must protect civilians better

Ahead of Friday’s Security Council vote, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken again called on Israel to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip. It’s not just setting up safety zones, but also communicating about them so people know where they can evacuate, when and how they can evacuate.

“We are reaching a point of no return in Gaza, and this blatant disregard for international humanitarian law weighs on our collective conscience,” the UN said. The Palestinian Relief Agency (UNRWA) has warned. The World Health Organization (WHO) has once again pointed out the consequences of attacks for the health sector.

Given the growing pressure, Israel agreed to open the Kerem Shalom border crossing for aid transit in the coming days. This will facilitate the importation of large numbers of trucks carrying relief supplies. So far, aid has only been transported through the Rafah border crossing.

Report: 150 refugees in Gaza

According to a report by the Times of Israel, there are 150 safe havens such as schools and other public facilities for civilians seeking safety. These are not attacked. The newspaper cited the Israeli Kogat authority, which is responsible for relations with Palestinians, for its information.

Additionally, according to the report, there is an approximately 20 square kilometer “humanitarian zone” in al-Mawasi that the military has not attacked either. According to the military, Hamas has previously fired rockets at Israel from the area. Aid agencies have warned that there is no food, water or shelter for those seeking refuge in al-Mawasi.