NEW YORK: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is scheduled to vote on a draft truce resolution today. According to Arab media, the proposed resolution, which calls for “an urgent truce for the month of holy Ramadan”, has been put forward by the ten elected members of the UNSC.
Al Jazeera cited diplomatic sources as saying that they expect the resolution is likely to approve, showing that none of the UNSC’s five permanent members are likely to veto the resolution.
The UNSC was earlier planning to vote on the resolution on Saturday but the process was deferred while talks continued. China and Russia vetoed an earlier text proposed by the US.
UNSC to Vote on Gaza Resolution Today
The UNSC has been divided over the Hamas-Israel war since the Oct 7 attacks, approving just two of 8 resolutions, with both dealing primarily with humanitarian help to the distressed Gaza Strip.
The health ministry in Gaza said that more than 32,226 people mostly women and children have been killed in Gaza since October 7. The ministry added that around 72 people have been killed in early hours of Sunday. It maintained that 26 people were killed in air strikes on homes in the city of Rafah.
According to AFP, the new text of the resolution demands an immediate truce for the holy month of Ramadan leading to a permanent ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a major ground offensive in Rafah was not necessary to deal with the situation. The UN agency for Palestinians said Israel had ultimately barred it from making help deliveries in northern Gaza, where the risk of starvation is highest.
Earlier, a UN-backed food assessment had warned that scarcity was likely to hit the north of Gaza by May unless there was immediate intervention.
