- The UN report alleges that Israel is deliberately breaching warfare laws, ostensibly to justify acts of extreme violence against Palestinians
TEL AVIV – In response to the UN Security Council’s decision to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called off a scheduled visit to Washington by a senior delegation. The resolution was passed unanimously on Monday after the US chose to abstain rather than exercise its veto power, a departure from its previous three vetoes on ceasefire demands.
The resolution, issued during the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, also calls for the release of all hostages taken during Hamas’ surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7. However, it does not tie this demand to its call for a ceasefire.
According to international aid officials, the entire population of the Gaza Strip, comprising 2.3 million people, is facing food insecurity, with a famine looming in the severely affected north. The Health Ministry of Gaza reports that over 32,000 people have been killed and more than 74,000 injured in the territory, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants. It states that women and children constitute two-thirds of the fatalities.
