UN VOTE
International pressure is mounting for a new truce that could ramp up aid to the besieged Palestinian territory, with the United Nations due to vote on a ceasefire call after two days of delays.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also said Tuesday his country was “ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release of hostages”.
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, meanwhile, released video footage on Tuesday it claimed showed two hostages alive in its custody in Gaza, ramping up pressure on Israel.
The UN Security Council was set to vote on Wednesday on a resolution calling for a pause in the conflict, three diplomatic sources told AFP, after two previous votes were delayed as members wrangled over wording.
The latest version of the text calls for the “suspension” of hostilities, the sources said.
The US vetoed a previous ceasefire resolution in the council, sparking condemnation by Palestinian and humanitarian groups, which urged more action to help civilians caught in the conflict.
For now, fighting was raging unabated after Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Tuesday that troops were expanding operations in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis area.
“We must dismantle Hamas, and it will take as long as needed,” he said, as the army said it had now lost 133 soldiers since ground operations began in late October.
Hamas sources said Wednesday at least 11 people had been killed overnight in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip.
The UN estimates 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced and concerns are growing about the limited ability of aid groups to help.
“Amid displacement at an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink,” said Tor Wennesland, the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process.
Young Gazans are facing a perilous winter, with the UN children’s agency warning that “child deaths due to disease could surpass those killed in bombardments”.
The United States, while strongly backing Israel, has also urged it to protect civilians in Gaza.
The call was echoed by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who on Tuesday called on Israel to take a “much more surgical, clinical and targeted approach” in its battle against Hamas.
Source: CNA
