With 13 yes votes, no no votes and strong abstentions from the USA and Russia, the UN Security Council passed a new resolution on the current conflict in the Middle East yesterday afternoon. This is the second resolution since the war began on October 7th.
Roberta Barbi – Vatican City
After a two-day postponement, yesterday afternoon, Friday December 22nd, the second United Nations resolution on the current conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas, which began on October 7th, was adopted: 13 votes in favor, no votes against, abstention from the USA and of Russia. A long-awaited resolution, but one that actually disappoints many countries. “An insufficient step,” Hamas immediately described it and accused the USA of “emptying” the text. The American ambassador to the UN headquarters, Linda Thoms-Greenfield, was actually the first to express “surprise and disappointment.”
Yes to humanitarian aid for Gaza, no to the ceasefire
Compared to the original draft of the resolution, the call for an immediate ceasefire has actually disappeared from the text. While the cessation of hostilities was initially defined as “urgent”, the final version adopted yesterday only leaves “immediate, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip” as “urgent”. According to the latest UN estimates, the death toll here is now over 20,000, there are 53,000 injured, and at least half a million people are at risk of starvation. As already mentioned, even the United States is disappointed with the resolution: although the text deplores “all acts of terrorism” and “attacks against civilians” and calls for “the unconditional release” of all hostages, the Hamas attack on October 7th is actually not made explicit condemned This is how the conflict began.
The negotiations have stalled
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, also reached an impasse after Hamas rejected the proposal of a week-long ceasefire in exchange for the release of 40 hostages: the Palestinian group reiterated that it would not proceed without “the”. will move forward with an end to the aggression against Gaza. However, according to sources at Israel's Kan TV channel, there is still a glimmer of hope regarding the adoption of this proposal.
WHO: Ceasefire is the most urgent demand
And following the UN resolution, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Thedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed it, calling the ceasefire “the most urgent need” for the people of Gaza, now at the end, in a message on social media of their strength and therefore also called for a gradual increase in aid to counteract the danger of hunger, starvation and the spread of disease. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, also reiterated the need to immediately and unconditionally release the hostages in a post on social networks following the UN resolution: “Nothing can justify the terrible terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7th.” brutal kidnapping of about 250 hostages,” he wrote after adopting the resolution calling for an immediate acceleration of aid deliveries to Gaza, thereby creating “the conditions” for an end to the war. Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force would carry out ground strikes in the Kafr Kila area of southern Lebanon: The Times of Israel reports this, but there is no confirmation from the Israeli Defense Forces yet. Tel Aviv.