After more than five months of relentless Israeli war on Gaza, the UN Security Council for the first time Monday demanded an immediate ceasefire after the United States, Israel's ally which vetoed previous drafts, abstained.
Drawing unusual applause in the often staid Security Council, all 14 other members voted in favour of the resolution which "demands an immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The resolution calls for the truce to lead to a "lasting, sustainable ceasefire" and demands that Hamas and other militants free hostages seized on October 7.
The vote came as Israeli airstrikes on Rafah and other parts of the Gaza Strip killed dozens of people on Monday.
Permanent Council member and key Israel backer the United States has unequivocally supported Israel, but with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepening, the United States has tempered its support for Israel to some extent.
The UN agency for Palestinians said on Sunday that Israel had definitively barred it from making aid deliveries in northern Gaza, where the threat of famine is highest.
Gaza's health ministry on Sunday put the total death toll from Israel's indiscriminate and devastating attacks on the territory at 32,333 most of them women and children.
Israeli forces have arrested two Palestinian men during a raid in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Wafa news agency said.
Israeli forces have raided homes in several neighbourhoods and deployed snipers on roofs amid fighting with Palestinian resistance groups in the city.
Israeli forces have also arrested three Palestinians, including a 16-year-old, in the town of Beit Fajjar, south of Bethlehem, and three more men in the town of Dura, south of Hebron.
The Israeli military has bombed a house in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza, killing at least 15 people and injuring more, Al Jazeera Arabic is reporting.
The building was housing displaced Palestinians and among the dead are at least four children.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored in a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday that alternatives exist to a ground invasion of Rafah that would both better ensure Israel's security and protect Palestinian civilians, the State Department said.
Britain's Royal Air Force airdropped more than 10 metric tons of food supplies into Gaza for the first time on Monday, Britain's defence ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
"The aid, which consists of water, rice, cooking oil, flour, tinned goods and baby formula, will support the people of Gaza," the ministry said
The US army’s Central Command said they have delivered humanitarian aid to northern Gaza.
The aid, which included 46,000 meals, was dropped into northern Gaza, "an area of great need, allowing for civilian access to the critical aid".
March 25 USCENTCOM Conducts Humanitarian Airdrops into Gaza
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 25, 2024
U.S. Central Command conducted an air drop of humanitarian assistance into Northern Gaza on March 25, 2024, at 12:10 p.m. (Gaza time) to provide essential relief to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict.
The joint… pic.twitter.com/RQQjplan5P
The US executive director of Doctors Without Borders said there is a need here for "a sustainable ceasefire" despite the UNSC resolution calling for an "immediate truce" in Gaza during Ramadan.
"A two-week ceasefire is not nearly enough time to respond to the overwhelming humanitarian needs. We repeat our urgent demand for a sustained ceasefire now," Avril Benoit said in a statement posted on the group’s website.
"In the meantime, Council members must ensure that the ceasefire is put into action immediately and doesn’t end up being merely words on paper."
“Council members must ensure that the ceasefire is put into action immediately and doesn’t end up being merely words on paper.”@avrilbenoit responds following the UN Security Council resolution on a temporary ceasefire in #Gaza.
— MSF International (@MSF) March 25, 2024
Read more 👇https://t.co/lI4OSnjqB4
The head of UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini, made a statement on X mourning the deaths of 171 UN staff members, as the US declares a ceasefire resolution in Gaza.
"Today, marks day 171 of this endless war. Today also marks 171 UNRWA team members killed since 7 October in Gaza," he said.
"Most recently was Hani, killed in northern Gaza while looking for food."
"I hope that the UN Security Council call for an immediate & durable ceasefire will bring to Gaza & the region the peace its people so well deserve," he added.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a short statement that after six months of failure to adopt a resolution on Israel’s war in Gaza, the UN Security Council vote was "a positive but insufficient step".
"A more important step than adopting this resolution would be [an] effective action to implement it," he said, adding that Israeli attacks on Gaza and occupied West Bank must halt, the siege of Gaza must end, crossings must open to aid and international funding must come through to rebuild the enclave," Nasser Kanaani said.
"The reaction of the child-killing Zionist regime to the resolution indicates its clear anger from this irreparable defeat both in the field and in international politics."
The White House said on Monday it has not seen indications or a plan for an Israeli invasion of Rafah, Gaza's southernmost town on the Egyptian border, in the coming days.
"We haven't seen any indication that the Israelis are imminently getting ready to conduct a ground operation in Rafah," White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. "There's no sense right now that this is about to happen in coming days," he said.
Earlier on Monday, the White House said it was disappointed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had canceled a high-level Israeli delegation's planned visit to Washington.
Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati said on Monday that countries should pressure Israel to stop attacking Lebanon following a United Nations Security Council decision calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
In a statement shared by his office, Mikati welcomed the decision, saying it was "a first step on the path to stopping the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip".
South Africa said on Monday it welcomes the adoption of a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
"It is now the responsibility of the United Nations Security Council to ensure that there is compliance with the resolution, which is binding on the parties," South Africa's department of international relations and cooperation said in a statement.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will likely discuss US concerns over Israel's planned military operation in Rafah with visiting Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday, the State Department said.
But Blinken would not be presenting Washington's alternative plans for a military operation in the southern Gaza city after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a separate US-Israeli meeting on the issue, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
Miller told reporters it was "surprising and unfortunate" that Netanyahu decided an Israeli delegation would not be making the trip after the US abstained from a United Nations Security Council vote on Monday demanding a ceasefire.
The UN resolution also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Miller said Israel's planned assault on Rafah would be a mistake and would weaken Israel's security. Rafah is the last refuge for about half of Gaza's 2.3 million population, many of them displaced by fighting elsewhere.
Rafah will be the subject of conversations in Blinken's meetings with Gallant and other Israeli officials on Monday and Tuesday, but a detailed presentation on concerns was not part of the plan for the meeting with Gallant.
"I am sure we will find other ways to make our concerns known to the government of Israel at very senior levels, but I don't have anything to announce with respect to that today," Miller said.
An Israeli drone strike on eastern Lebanon has targeted a Palestinian Hamas official who "escaped" the attempted killing, a Lebanese security source said Monday.
Lebanon's official National News Agency said the strike Sunday near the village of Suwairi in the Bekaa Valley killed a Syrian civilian in his vehicle.
The security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the Hamas official was travelling along the same road.
"A Hamas official was targeted by the Israeli drone attack on Sunday but escaped," said the source, without naming the official.
Israeli minister Gideon Saar said on Monday he had resigned from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency unity government after he was not included in the highest-level war cabinet.
Saar joined the unity government along with several other members of the opposition after October 7. His departure, along with another of his allies, is not expected to affect the stability of Netanyahu's government, which still controls a clear majority in parliament.
The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) welcomed the new UNSC permanent ceasefire for Gaza, calling it a 'positive step', but said that the move remains a 'watered-down statement'.
"A ceasefire must be permanent as well as immediate. Instead, the resolution approved merely calls for a lasting ceasefire," the ICJ said in a statement.
The NGO said that as the resolution calls for a ceasefire during Ramadan, meaning it will expire by the 9th April, this will "only provide a brief window for parties to reach a 'lasting sustainable ceasefire' afterwards".
The ICJP director Tayab Ali said: "Whilst waiting powerlessly for the world to act, we’ve had to endure 170 days of distraction, disdain and disaster. "
"The cessation of failure should not be mistaken for success, but at least now, there is an opportunity. The international community including the UK must grasp it with both hands to ensure not only an end to the genocide, but also genuine progress towards a resolution with recognition of the State of Palestine and the self-determination of the Palestinian people lying at the heart of it," he added.
The United States said Monday it will find ways to warn Israel against an attack on Rafah, after a delegation to discuss US concerns was scrapped to protest a UN ceasefire resolution.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will likely discuss Rafah with visiting Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and "I am sure we will find other ways to make our concerns known," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
"We believe this type of full-scale invasion would be a mistake, not just because of the civilian harm that it would cost which would be immense," Miller said.
He added there are currently around 1.4 million people in Rafah and Israel has not presented a coherent evacuation plan.
But on top of that, Miller said, "This type of invasion would weaken Israel's security and would make Israel less safe, not more safe. It would undermine its standing in the world."
The United States is "very disappointed" by the cancellation of an Israeli delegation's planned visit to discuss concerns over a possible offensive in southern Gaza, the White House said Monday.
"We're very disappointed that they won't be coming to Washington, DC to allow us to have a fulsome conversation with them about viable alternatives to going in on the ground in Rafah," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists.
Israel scrapped the visit after the United States abstained from a UN Security Council vote demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.
Kirby however insisted that the vote "does not represent a shift in our policy," and said the United States abstained because the text did not condemn Hamas.
Israel will not end its war against Hamas until hostages are freed, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in Washington after Israel cancelled another US-bound delegation over a UN Security Council ceasefire call.
"We have no moral right to stop the war while there are still hostages held in Gaza. The lack of a decisive victory in Gaza may bring us closer to a war in the north," Gallant said ahead of meetings with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Hamas welcomed a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel's war on Gaza, and said it was ready to negotiate the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
"Hamas welcomes the United Nations Security Council's call today for an immediate ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian group said, adding: "We also affirm our readiness to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides."
The Palestinian envoy in emotional remarks to the UN Security Council on Monday said that the approval of a ceasefire resolution needed to be a "turning point" in ending the Gaza war.
"This must be a turning point," Riyad Mansour said, holding back tears. "This must signal the end of this assault, of atrocities against our people."
After more than five months of brutal and relentless Israeli war on Gaza, the UN Security Council for the first time Monday demanded an immediate ceasefire after the United States, Israel's ally which vetoed previous drafts, abstained.
Drawing unusual applause in the often staid Security Council, all 14 other members voted in favour of the resolution which "demands an immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The resolution calls for the truce to lead to a "lasting, sustainable ceasefire" and demands that Hamas and other militants free hostages seized on October 7.
Russia at the last minute objected to the removal of the word "permanent" ceasefire and called a vote, which failed to gain passage.
The successful resolution was drafted in part by Algeria, the Arab bloc's current member on the Security Council, with a diverse array of countries including Slovenia and Switzerland.
The United States has vetoed previous bids for a ceasefire but has shown growing frustration with Israel, including its stated plans to expand its military operation to the packed southern city of Rafah.
A change in tone toward its Middle Eastern ally was seen Friday, when the United States put forward a resolution to recognize "the imperative" of an "immediate and sustained ceasefire."
But that text was blocked by Russia and China, which along with Arab states criticized it for stopping short of explicitly demanding Israel halt its campaign in Gaza.
The United States had repeatedly blocked ceasefire resolutions as it attempts to walk a line between supporting Israel with military aid and voicing frustration with leader Benjamin Netanyahu as the civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip spirals.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will not send a delegation as planned to Washington if the United States does not veto a UN Security Council proposal calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli news website Ynet reported on Monday.
A high-level delegation is due to travel to Washington to discuss a planned Israeli military attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu's office on Ynet's report.
Israel will stop working with the UN Relief Works Agency in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli government spokesperson said on Monday, accusing the aid agency of perpetuating conflict.
"UNRWA are part of the problem, and we will now stop working with them. We are actively phasing out the use of UNRWA because they perpetuate the conflict rather than try and alleviate the conflict," spokesperson David Mencer told reporters.
(Reuters)
Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, has reported that it fired rockets at the southern Israeli port of Ashdod, saying that this was in response to "Israel's targeting of civilians".
The Israeli army corroborated this, saying eight rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip, with no casualties resulting.
This is the first time in over two months that Ashdod has been targeted by Palestinian groups, according to The Times of Israel
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh has said that his government expects a unanimous vote on a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza later today.
The draft "demands an immediate ceasefire" over the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that would lead to a "permanent sustainable ceasefire".
Patients and staff at the Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis have been forcibly expelled by the Israeli army on Sunday night, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
The Red Crescent added that two of its staff were shot and wounded by the Israeli army as they tried to remove rubble from around the hospital in order to evacuate.
Israel told four European countries on Monday that their plan to work toward recognition of a Palestinian state constituted a "prize for terrorism".
Spain said on Friday that, in the name of Middle East peace, it had agreed with Ireland, Malta and Slovenia to take first steps toward recognising statehood declared by the Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in the blockaded and now devastated Gaza Strip.
"Recognition of a Palestinian state following the October 7 massacre sends a message to Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations that murderous terror attacks on Israelis will be reciprocated with political gestures to the Palestinians," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on X.
"A resolution of the conflict will only be possible through direct negotiations between the parties. Any engagement in the recognition of a Palestinian state only distances reaching a resolution and increases regional instability."
He did not specify what kind of resolution he had in mind. Israel, whose governing coalition includes pro-settlement far-right extremists, has long ruled out Palestinian statehood, creating tension with some of its Western allies.
(Reuters and The New Arab Staff)
Gaza's health ministry said on Monday that at least 32,333 people have been killed in the territory during more than five months of indiscriminate Israeli attacks.
The toll includes at least 107 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 74,694 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7.
Israel's military killed dozens of people in new attacks in Gaza, Palestinian medics said on Monday, and its forces maintained a blockade of two hospitals where they claim Hamas militants are hiding.
As Israel pressed on with its offensive, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there was a growing international consensus around telling Israel a ceasefire was needed and that an assault on Rafah would cause a humanitarian disaster.
Rafah, the last refuge for over a million Palestinians on the Gaza Strip's southern border with Egypt, was among cities that came under fire in the latest attacks.
Palestinian medics said 30 people had been killed in the previous 24 hours in Rafah, whose population has been swollen by displaced Palestinians escaping fighting elsewhere in Gaza after more than five months of war.
"Every bombing that takes place in Rafah, we fear the tanks will come in. The past 24 hours were one of the worst days since we moved into Rafah," said Abu Khaled, a father of seven, who declined to give his full name for fear of reprisals.
"In Rafah, we live in fear, we are hungry, we are homeless and our future is unknown. With no ceasefire in sight, we might end up dead or displaced somewhere else, maybe north and maybe south (to Egypt)," he told Reuters via a chat app.
Dozens of Palestinians took part in rallies and attended funerals early on Monday after an Israeli airstrike killed 18 Palestinians in one house in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, the Palestinians medics and witnesses said.
Israeli forces were also besieging Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in the southern city of Khan Younis, Palestinian witnesses said, a week after entering Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, the main hospital in the Strip.
China has said that it will back the new draft resolution at the UN Security Council calling for “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza, after vetoed an earlier text presented by the US, alongside Russia.
“China supports this draft resolution and commends Algeria and other Arab countries for their hard work in this regard,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
“We hope the Security Council will pass it as soon as possible and send a strong signal for the cessation of hostilities.”
Doctors and medical workers at the European Hospital in Khan Younis have reported horrific scenes of malnourished patients dying from infections as a result of the lack of food and medicine, amid continued Israeli attacks and siege.
Arvind Das, a medical team leader said, "The situation we're facing is beyond comprehension. Continuous Israeli military operations near hospitals are making an already tense situation even worse for those seeking shelter or medical help, pushing the healthcare system to the brink of collapse."
The UN agency for Palestinians said on Sunday that Israel had definitively barred it from making aid deliveries in northern Gaza, where the threat of famine is highest.
"Despite the tragedy unfolding under our watch, the Israeli Authorities informed the UN that they will no longer approve any @UNRWA food convoys to the north," Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the agency, said on X.
"This is outrageous & makes it intentional to obstruct lifesaving assistance during a man made famine."
Israel did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment about Lazzarini's statement.
📍# Gaza: as of today, @UNRWA, the main lifeline for #Palestine Refugees, is denied from providing lifesaving assistance to northern Gaza.
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 24, 2024
Despite the tragedy unfolding under our watch, the Israeli Authorities informed the UN that they will no longer approve any @UNRWA food… pic.twitter.com/lfp9xRQuh1
