According to multiple reports on Tuesday, Algerian representatives were preparing to submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling on Israel to halt its self-defense operations against the terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Tuesday after Israel carried out airstrikes on Sunday in the southern city of Rafah, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have eliminated several Hamas leaders. Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, claimed the strikes caused a fire to spread among tents housing Palestinians displaced by the war, killing dozens.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to criticism of the attack on Monday: call The IDF has vowed to investigate the civilian deaths, calling them a “tragic mistake.” The IDF is reportedly investigating whether an airstrike aimed at Hamas leaders may have caused a secondary explosion when it came into contact with Hamas munitions or other flammable materials in the area, but had not provided a clear explanation for the fire at the time of writing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presides over a cabinet meeting at Kirya military base, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defense, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dec. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, Pool, File)
Algeria has convened a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday to reportedly prepare a resolution calling for an immediate halt to operations in Rafah. After the meeting, Algerian Ambassador Amar Benjama told reporters: Confirmed The UN is working on drafting a resolution, promising a “concise and decisive document to stop the killing of Rafah”, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Associated Press Claimed Israel obtained the draft resolution on Tuesday night. The document, seen by The Associated Press, calls for an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of Hamas hostages and for Israel to “immediately cease military attacks in Rafah and all other actions.” The resolution also reportedly declares that “the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip is a threat to regional and international peace and security.”
The Associated Press claimed that Algerian authorities want to put the draft to a vote as soon as possible and secure support from the Security Council’s most anti-Israel members.
“We hope it can be resolved as soon as possible because lives are at risk,” Chinese Ambassador Fu Song was quoted as saying by AFP.
Israel declared war on Hamas in October after the genocidal jihadist terrorist organization invaded Israel and committed a series of atrocities, including killing 1,200 people and committing crimes against humanity, including gang rape, infanticide, and desecration of corpses. Evidence, including videos made by the terrorists themselves and uploaded online, shows that they indiscriminately targeted children, the elderly, and the disabled. Some victims’ faces were so badly disfigured that Israeli authorities had to call in archaeologists to identify them.
Hamas is also holding an estimated 250 hostages, 121 of whom remain in the country. do not have As of May 23. The IDF’s operation in Gaza is aimed at preventing a recurrence of unprecedented attacks on Israeli soil, as well as rescuing hostages or returning bodies to their families if they do not survive.
A woman holds out her hand to a poster listing the names and photos of hostages in Gaza on Oct. 21, 2023. (Photo by Heidi Levine for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
If the proposed UN resolution passes, it would be the second time the Security Council has called for a ceasefire in Gaza. The first was passed in March just before the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and called for both sides to halt fighting until Eid al-Fitr, the festival that marks the end of Ramadan. The resolution also called for “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the ensuring of humanitarian access to address medical and other humanitarian needs.”
Both Israel and Hamas have largely ignored the resolution, and the conflict has continued ever since.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has been a vocal opponent of Israel’s self-defense operations since October, issued Ahead of the Security Council meeting, spokesman Stephane Dujarric issued a sharp statement on Tuesday condemning Israel.
“The Secretary-General condemned in the strongest terms the airstrikes on 26 May in Rafah, which struck tents sheltering displaced persons,” the statement said. “The Secretary-General is distressed by the images of deaths and injuries, including many young children. As the Secretary-General has previously said, this terror and suffering must be stopped immediately.”
“We must work swiftly to restore safety, dignity and hope to those affected. This will require urgent efforts to support and strengthen the new Palestinian government and its institutions, including preparing the Palestinian Authority to reassume responsibility in Gaza. We must also move forward with concrete and irreversible steps to build a political horizon,” the statement continued.
Guterres concluded by calling for a “two-state solution” – the creation of a Palestinian state separate from Israel.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the United Nations Security Council during an emergency meeting at UN Headquarters, Sunday, April 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
The IDF launched an operation in northern Gaza before withdrawing to Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt. Israeli officials argue that allowing any Hamas presence, including maintaining a safe haven in Rafah, could allow terrorists to regroup and launch another attack similar to that of October 7.
The airstrike that prompted this week’s resolution reportedly killed two senior members of Hamas’ Judea and Samaria wing, Khaled Nagar and Yassin Rabiya. Civilians killed in the subsequent gunfire were reportedly in a nearby displaced persons camp.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters on Tuesday that officials believe Hamas munitions stored near the camp may have been hit in an airstrike, sparking the fire. ABC News report On Tuesday night, it was reported that Israeli authorities were also investigating the possibility that shrapnel from the airstrike hit a fuel tank and caused the fire.
“Our munitions alone could not have started a fire of this magnitude. I repeat, our munitions alone could not have started a fire of this magnitude,” Hagari said. Claimed on tuesday.
