UN calls for ceasefire in Gaza as Israel and US express growing rift

UNITED NATIONS/CAIRO/GAZA, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Israel faced growing isolation from the government in its fight against Hamas as the United Nations called for an immediate freeze on humanitarian aid to Gaza and said the President of the United States Joe Biden to the partner who has been bombarded by the public. international support was affected.

Following dire warnings from UN officials about the escalation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the 193-member UN General Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire and three -a quarter of the members of the government voted in favor.

“The cost of defeating Hamas cannot be the constant suffering of all Palestinians,” the leaders of Canada, Australia and New Zealand said in a joint statement calling for a ceasefire.

The Palestinian Authority welcomed the resolution and urged countries to pressure Israel to comply. A Hamas official in exile, Izzat El-Reshiq, in a statement on Telegram reiterated that response, saying that Israel must “stop its aggression, killings, and ethnic cleansing against to our people.”

The U.S. and Israel, arguing that the ceasefire only benefits Hamas, voted against the measure along with eight other countries.

Before the UN vote, Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan said: “Stopping the war means one thing and one thing – ensuring the survival of Hamas, ensuring the lives of the murderous terrorists committed to the destruction of Israel and the Jews.”

Before the resolution, Biden said, Israel now has support from “much of the world” including the US and the European Union for their fight against the group. Palestinian militants Hamas.

“But they’re starting to lose that support because of the bombing that’s going on,” he said at a campaign fundraiser in Washington.

In the most public sign of divisiveness between the leaders so far, Biden also said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to replace his powerful government and ultimately “can’t Israel says no” to an independent Palestinian state – something Israelis oppose. .

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will travel to Israel this week and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit the Middle East next week. Biden said Sullivan will emphasize America’s commitment to Israel as well as the need to protect civilians in Gaza.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza to eradicate Hamas has killed at least 18,205 Palestinians including many children and injured nearly 50,000 since October 7, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

The conflict has also caused starvation, displaced 85% of the population from their homes and caused disease to spread, according to the UN and Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Israel launched its attack after a Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and displaced 240 in southern Israel on October 7. were recovered from the hostages.

The UN resolution is not binding but carries political weight, reflecting a global perspective on the war. The United States rejected such a call at the 15-member Security Council last week, but the Council did not have a veto. A lot.

Tuesday’s resolution received 153 votes in favor, 10 against and 23 abstentions. In a sign of weakening support for Israel, the resolution was passed more widely than a similar UN process in October, which received 121 votes in favor, 14 against and 44 abstentions.

REPORTS SAY ISRAEL IS ATTACKING THE GAZA ISLANDS

After beating the northern part of Gaza, Israel has expanded its attack in the south since the temporary peace fell on the 1st of December. The Israeli tank fire on Tuesday was aimed at the center of Khan Younis, the main town of southern Gaza, people said.

Later that night, Israeli airstrikes on Khan Younis killed 11 Palestinians, including two children, health officials said.

In the southern Gaza town of Rafah, which borders Egypt and where the Israeli army this month told civilians they were safe, Gazans said the shooting was among the worst. daily weight. According to health officials, 22 people including children died there.

The Israeli military said yesterday that they hit several posts used to fire rockets into its territory, attacked a Hamas compound where it found about 250 rockets and other weapons. hit a factory.

Israel said on Wednesday that eight more of its soldiers were killed in the war in Gaza, bringing the total to 114 since the ground operations began on October 20.

An elderly Palestinian, Tawfik Abu Breika, said that his residential block in Khan Younis was hit without warning by an Israeli airstrike that destroyed many houses and damaged them.

“The conscience of the world is dead, there is no human or any kind of behavior,” Breika told Reuters as neighbors examined the debris. “This is the third month we have faced death and destruction.”

The Wall Street Journal and ABC reported that the Israeli military began pumping seawater into a Hamas tunnel, which the terrorist group believes hides soldiers and weapons and bases for attacks on on the road on Israeli soldiers.

Biden said he had heard unconfirmed reports that no people were detained in the corridors. Some of the detainees who were freed during the standoff were reported to have been held in canals. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports.

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