UN Security Council Backs US Ceasefire Deal For Gaza, Hamas Welcomes Resolution, Blinken Pushes Israel for Post-War Plans. The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on Monday for a comprehensive cease-fire deal in three phases to end the raging war in Gaza. We drafted the resolution, which urged the Hamas to accept the cease-fire deal and hostage release deal. US President Joe Biden said the deal would provide a durable end to the war.
Nate Evans, a spokesperson for the US mission to the United Nations, said the deal would enable a pause in fighting, freeing several hostages, and a surge in humanitarian assistance, among other things. He highlighted that Israel has accepted the proposal and urged Hamas to do the same. Evans added that it would help save the lives of the civilians in Gaza, the hostages, and their families.
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US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield pointed out that as the war goes on, needless suffering continues. She asserted that the fighting needs to end sustainably. Thomas-Greenfield said the international community stands behind the deal to save lives and help Palestinian civilians in Gaza rebuild and heal. She added the agreement will lead to a more secure Israel and unlock the possibility of more progress.
Hamas also welcomed the deal saying they are ready to cooperate with mediators over implementing the principles of the plan that is consistent with the demands of their people and resistance.
Israel Adamant On Destroying Hamas
Now in its 8th month of war in Gaza, Israel reaffirmed its commitment to destroy Hamas’ military, free all the hostages, and see that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future. US President Biden has time and again tried to warn the Israeli government not to commit the same mistakes that the United States made in Afghanistan (Osama Bin Laden) and Iraq (weapons of mass destruction). He told an American media outlet that Israel was indeed making a huge mistake.
Amid the war in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has his hands full in trying to deal with the sporadic uprisings in Israel, protests by the hostage’ families, and threats by the country’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich to bring down the government.
Antony Blinken 8th Visit to Israel for Cease-fire Deal
Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel, his eighth since October 7, to discuss the US-proposed cease-fire deal. He met with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Blinken told the media that the three-phase cease-fire deal calls for the release of more hostages, temporary pause in hostilities (this will last as long as it takes to negotiate the second phase) with the aim to release all the hostages, a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and a permanent end to hostilities.
The third phase involves the reconstruction of Gaza.
