NEW DELHI: The UN Security Council on Monday approved the US-backed drafted resolution endorsing a ceasefire plan between Israel and Hamas.
US President Joe Biden urged Hamas to accept the ceasefire proposal which was announced on May 31 that has already been accepted by Israel.
The resolution was notably adopted with 14 votes in favor- calls on Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”
Whether Israel and Hamas agree to go forward with the plan remains in question, but the resolution’s strong support in the UN’s most powerful body puts added pressure on both parties to approve the proposal.
President Biden described the deal as “not just a ceasefire that would inevitably be fragile and temporary” but one that would provide a “durable end to the war”.
He added that the terms of the deal had been transmitted by Qatar to the leadership of Hamas.
Meanwhile, US State Secretary Anthony Blinken went to Israel on Monday to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the plan for ceasefire as he pushed for more international pressure on Hamas to agree to the cease-fire proposal. Netanyahu has been skeptical of the deal, saying that Israel is still committed to destroying Hamas.
Hamas said it welcomed the adoption of the resolution and was ready to work with mediators in indirect negotiations with Israel to implement it. In its statement, Hamas said it was ready to cooperate with mediators over implementing the principles of the plan.
“Hamas welcomes what is included in the Security Council resolution that affirmed the permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the complete withdrawal, the prisoners’ exchange, the reconstruction, the return of the displaced to their areas of residence, the rejection of any demographic change or reduction in the area of the Gaza Strip, and the delivery of needed aid to our people in the Strip,” the militant group said in a statement.
More than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s eight-month-old assault on the Gaza Strip, say health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave. The war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting some 250 others, according to Israeli tallies.
(With inputs from agencies)
US President Joe Biden urged Hamas to accept the ceasefire proposal which was announced on May 31 that has already been accepted by Israel.
The resolution was notably adopted with 14 votes in favor- calls on Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”
Whether Israel and Hamas agree to go forward with the plan remains in question, but the resolution’s strong support in the UN’s most powerful body puts added pressure on both parties to approve the proposal.
President Biden described the deal as “not just a ceasefire that would inevitably be fragile and temporary” but one that would provide a “durable end to the war”.
He added that the terms of the deal had been transmitted by Qatar to the leadership of Hamas.
Meanwhile, US State Secretary Anthony Blinken went to Israel on Monday to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the plan for ceasefire as he pushed for more international pressure on Hamas to agree to the cease-fire proposal. Netanyahu has been skeptical of the deal, saying that Israel is still committed to destroying Hamas.
Hamas said it welcomed the adoption of the resolution and was ready to work with mediators in indirect negotiations with Israel to implement it. In its statement, Hamas said it was ready to cooperate with mediators over implementing the principles of the plan.
“Hamas welcomes what is included in the Security Council resolution that affirmed the permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the complete withdrawal, the prisoners’ exchange, the reconstruction, the return of the displaced to their areas of residence, the rejection of any demographic change or reduction in the area of the Gaza Strip, and the delivery of needed aid to our people in the Strip,” the militant group said in a statement.
More than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s eight-month-old assault on the Gaza Strip, say health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave. The war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting some 250 others, according to Israeli tallies.
(With inputs from agencies)