Unable to find a compromise aimed at accelerating humanitarian aid to Gaza, the United Nations Security Council postponed the vote on a resolution on a “suspension” of hostilities.
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The Israeli army continued its bombings and ground operations in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, December 19, despite persistent international pressure to spare civilians in the besieged Palestinian territory. Here is what to remember from this day of conflict.
Gaza is the ‘most dangerous place in the world’ for a child, says Unicef
The spokesperson for the UN agency, James Elder, said “furious that those in power shrug their shoulders at the humanitarian nightmares inflicted on a million children” during a press briefing in Geneva, upon his return from Palestinian territory. He added that Gaza’s largest hospital is functioning “was bombed twice” while it houses “a large number of children (…), but also hundreds of women and children seeking shelter.” Gaza is the place “the most dangerous in the world” for a child, he said.
During the night from Monday to Tuesday, strikes again targeted Rafah and Khan Younes, in the south of the Palestinian enclave, as well as central Gaza, according to AFP correspondents. The al-Ahli Arab hospital, one of the last still in operation in the north of the Gaza Strip, stopped functioning on Tuesday after being stormed by the Israeli army, its director said.
Calls for appeasement are increasing
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Tuesday called on the Israeli army to “a more surgical, clinical and targeted approach” against Hamas, urging it to “minimize civilian casualties”. Visiting Tel Aviv on Monday, the American Secretary of Defense also pleaded for the delivery of “more humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip”while ensuring that the United States would continue to provide “equipment” military necessary for the Israeli army.
Even if trucks of aid and goods still entered the territory on Tuesday through the Rafah crossing points, via Egypt, and Kerem Shalom, in southern Israel, these supplies are very far from meeting the needs. the most basic needs of the population.
Security Council postpones vote on a “suspension” of hostilities
Unable to find compromise on a resolution to accelerate humanitarian aid to Gaza, the United Nations Security Council once again postponed the vote on a text calling for a “suspension”hostilities in the Palestinian territory.
Negotiations continue to allow the Council to speak with one voice. On December 8, despite unprecedented pressure from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the United States blocked the adoption of a resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip.