What’s in the latest UN Security Council Gaza ceasefire resolution?
The UN Security Council has scheduled a vote at 3pm (19:00 GMT) on a US resolution that welcomes a ceasefire proposal announced by Biden, which the United States says “Israel has accepted”.
It calls on Hamas, which has said it views the proposal “positively”, to accept the three-phase plan. Here’s a look at the document:
- The proposal would begin with an initial six-week ceasefire with the release of captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in Gaza and the return of Palestinian civilians to all areas in the territory.
- Phase one also requires the safe distribution of humanitarian assistance “at scale throughout the Gaza Strip”, which Biden said would lead to 600 trucks loaded with aid entering Gaza every day.
- In phase two, the draft resolution says that with the agreement of Israel and Hamas, “a permanent end to hostilities, in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza, and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza” would take place.
- Phase three would launch “a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza and the return of the remains of any deceased hostages still in Gaza to their families”.
- If adopted, it would be the first Security Council resolution on a ceasefire plan aimed at ending the eight-month war.
Blinken emphasised post-war Gaza plan in meeting with Netanyahu
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasised the importance of a post-conflict plan for Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Blinken also stressed the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading, the US Department of State said, noting that Blinken “reiterated the [ceasefire] proposal on the table would unlock the possibility of calm along Israel’s northern border and further integration with countries in the region”.
Mother of freed Israeli captive calls on Israeli government to reach a deal
The mother of an Israeli captive rescued from Gaza in a deadly Israeli military raid asked the government to agree on a deal to free others still held there.
“There are … families who are waiting without being able to breathe or sleep without thinking about their loved ones in Gaza,” said Orit Meir, adding she finally was able to have her “first full night sleep in eight months”.
Her son Almog Meir Jan, 22, was recovered from Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp along with three other captives in the operations, which killed more than 274 Palestinians.
Meir said she felt “lucky” but is hoping others will have the same opportunity to be reunited with family. “The remaining hostages need a deal to get home safely. There is a deal on the table. We ask the Israeli government to move forward with the deal,” she said.
Almog Meir Jan, a rescued captive, embraces his mother, Orit Meir
Hamas, PIJ release statement ahead of UN Security Council vote
The leaders of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) met in Qatar to discuss the proposed ceasefire deal for Gaza, according to a statement released after talks concluded.
The statement said Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas and Ziyad al-Nakhalah of PIJ discussed “indirect talks” to reach an agreement.
There are no direct talks between Hamas and Israel. According to the statement released by PIJ, the leaders said any deal must lead to a permanent ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza, reconstruction, and “a serious exchange deal” between captives in Gaza and Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
