UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on a draft resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, alongside unrestricted humanitarian access.
According to AFP, the text under consideration demands both an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire respected by all parties” and the “immediate and unconditional release of hostages”.
The move comes despite repeated vetoes by the United States, which has blocked earlier attempts at securing a ceasefire.
The 10 non-permanent members of the Council initiated fresh discussions in late August, following the UN’s official declaration of famine in Gaza after nearly two years of Israel’s military campaign.
US Criticise UN Staff
Tensions between the UN and its largest funder, the United States, have escalated. Reuters reported that Washington and Israel have sent complaint letters to senior UN officials, questioning the impartiality of its staff on Gaza.
The correspondence followed a protest in Geneva, where hundreds of UN employees carried placards reading “Peace for Gaza” and laid 370 white roses in honour of aid workers killed in the conflict.
“Today, the UN staff are coming together to say that enough is enough, to say that we cannot kill our colleagues in Gaza with such impunity and to say stop to all these murders,” Nathalie Meynet, president of the UN refugee agency staff council, told Reuters.
Death Toll in Gaza
Health authorities in Gaza say at least 65,141 people, mostly women and children, have been killed since Israel launched its offensive in October 2023. Another 165,925 have been injured, many with life-altering wounds.
Medical officials warn that thousands more remain trapped under rubble, inaccessible due to ongoing bombardments and the lack of rescue equipment.
Since Israel broke a brief ceasefire on 18 March this year, at least 12,590 civilians have been killed and 53,884 injured, according to Gaza’s health ministry. In the past 24 hours alone, 79 bodies and 282 injured individuals were brought to hospitals, the health ministry said.
Humanitarian Crisis
Aid-related deaths have become a tragic feature of the conflict. Over 1,060 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to receive humanitarian supplies, with more than 7,200 others wounded.
Human rights groups and UN officials say Israel’s attacks on aid distribution points amount to collective punishment and could constitute war crimes.
With 2.3 million residents trapped in the enclave, international observers warn of a looming famine unless humanitarian access is secured.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that evacuation orders and military operations are “driving new waves of displacement, forcing traumatised families into an ever-shrinking area unfit for human dignity”.
Fierce Assault on Gaza City
Israeli tanks and warplanes intensified their assault on Gaza City this week, AFP reported. Witnesses described relentless shelling, quadcopter gunfire and drone strikes. “The bombing never stops,” said Aya Ahmed, 32, who is sheltering with 13 relatives.
The offensive has forced thousands of civilians southwards, with some paying up to $1,000 for transport.
Israel’s military said it was targeting “Hamas infrastructure” in Gaza City as well as in Rafah and Khan Younis. Gaza’s civil defence authority reported at least 64 deaths on Wednesday, including 41 in Gaza City.
Genocide Accusations Against Israel
The UN Commission of Inquiry this week accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing mass killings, forced displacement, denial of aid and deliberate destruction of healthcare facilities.
It said statements by senior Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, provided “direct evidence of genocidal intent”.
Navi Pillay, who headed the probe, said that she saw “similarities” to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Spain has announced it will examine human rights violations in Gaza to support investigations by the International Criminal Court, which has already issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for alleged war crimes.
Israel has rejected the accusations, with its UN ambassador Daniel Meron calling the report “scandalous” and “fake”.
Israeli officials insist the country is acting in self-defence after Hamas’s 2023 attack, which killed 1,219 people and resulted in 251 hostages.
