Israel denounced on Monday the abstention of its American ally which allowed the adoption, for the first time, of a United Nations resolution demanding an immediate “ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip threatened by famine, after more than five months of war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas.
Immediately after the resolution’s adoption, Israel canceled a delegation visit that was expected to Washington, saying the U.S. abstention was “harming” both its war effort and its efforts to free the held hostages. in Gaza.
“This is a clear step back from the consistent position of the United States in the Security Council since the start of the war” on October 7, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Carried by non-permanent members of the Council, this resolution was adopted by 14 votes in favor and one abstention, that of the United States. Historical allies of Israel, they had, until then, systematically opposed the term “ceasefire” in UN resolutions, blocking three texts to this effect.
In recent weeks, however, they have shown signs of a change in tone which led to a proposed resolution on the “need” for a ceasefire, rejected on Friday by Russia and China.
In recent weeks, however, they have shown signs of changing their tone and proposed a resolution on the “need” for a ceasefire, rejected on Friday by Russia and China.
Shortly after the vote, the White House debunked accusations of “change of course.” At the UN, the American ambassador insisted that a ceasefire in Gaza could only begin “with the release of a first hostage”.
“Unforgivable”
For its part, the Islamist movement Hamas “welcomed the call from the United Nations Security Council for an immediate ceasefire”. Same tone for the Palestinian Authority which also demanded “a definitive end to this criminal war”.
The text “demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan” – which began two weeks ago –, which should “lead to a lasting ceasefire”, and “demands the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages.
Not implementing this resolution would be “unforgivable”, judged UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres following the vote.
“We do not have the moral right to stop the war as long as there are hostages in Gaza,” retorted Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, visiting the United States, dampening international hopes for a rapid cessation of hostilities.
In the Gaza Strip, residents met by AFP welcomed the vote at the UN and called on the United States to use its influence on Israel to obtain a cease-fire. “America must protect Rafah as it protected Israel,” said Bilal Awad, a displaced person from the town of Khan Younes.
The head of American diplomacy once again warned Israel against the risks of an offensive in Rafah, reiterating the United States’ opposition to such an operation, during a meeting on Monday with the Israeli Defense Minister .
Secretary of State Antony Blinken “reiterated the United States’ support for ensuring the defeat of Hamas, including in Rafah, but reiterated his opposition to a major ground operation in Rafah,” said in a statement by Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the State Department.
Antony Blinken “stressed the existence of solutions other than a large-scale ground invasion, which would both better ensure Israel’s security and protect Palestinian civilians,” he continued.
The war was sparked on October 7 when Hamas commandos infiltrated from the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented attack in southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of at least 1,160 people, mainly civilians, according to a count. from AFP established from official Israeli data.
PHOTO AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A Palestinian family walks past destroyed buildings in Gaza City, March 25, 2024.
According to Israel, around 250 people have been kidnapped and 130 of them are still hostages in Gaza, of whom 33 are believed to have died.
In retaliation, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organization along with the United States and the European Union.
Operations in hospitals
On the ground, the situation remains very difficult for the 2.4 million inhabitants of the narrow strip of land, subject to a total blockade.
On Monday, Israeli bombings left 107 dead in 24 hours, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health, targeting in particular the towns of Rafah and Khan Younes (south) as well as the city of Gaza (north).
In total, 32,333 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the start of the offensive, according to the same source.
At least two large hospitals, accused by Israel of housing Hamas bases, are targeted by army operations, a week after the start of the intervention against the al-Chifa hospital in Gaza City, the most large area.
This hospital and its surroundings were targeted by artillery fire on Monday, according to Hamas, as were the surroundings of the al-Amal hospital in Khan Younes, which had been besieged since the day before.
The Palestinian Red Crescent indicated on Monday that only nine patients and a few civilians remained in the al-Amal hospital, apart from the staff, after the evacuation on Sunday of the displaced people who had found refuge there.
The army says it has so far arrested around “500 terrorists” in al-Chifa where 170 others have been killed. But according to Hamas authorities, the army destroyed around twenty houses with explosives as well as a building in the Al-Rimal district, close to the hospital, where witnesses reported fighting on Monday.
“Not even food”
In Jabaliya, in the north, residents, many of them women and children, lined up to fill cans of water which they carried in wheelbarrows, carts or by hand.
“We don’t even have food to give us the energy to fetch water, let alone innocent children, women and the elderly,” said one man, Bassam Mohammed al-Haou.
An AFP video taken in Gaza City shows dozens of displaced people waiting for food packages to be airdropped.
“People die to get a can of tuna,” said Mohamad Al-Sabaawi, a resident of Gaza, brandishing the only can of tuna he was able to collect at the camera. Not far away, another man said he was risking his life for a can of beans “which will be shared with 18 people”.
Arriving mainly from Egypt via Rafah, humanitarian aid is strictly controlled by Israel and enters the Gaza Strip in dribs and drabs.
Faced with this major humanitarian crisis, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced on Sunday that it was now formally prohibited by Israel from any delivery of food aid in the north of the territory, where the situation is particularly dramatic.