Israel’s war on Gaza updates: UN Security Council passes truce resolution

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• To learn more about the UN Security Council endorsing a US-sponsored Gaza ceasefire resolution, click here.
• To read up on Antony Blinken’s eighth visit to the Middle East since the war on Gaza began, go here.
• To read more about Israel’s raid earlier this week to recover captives that killed dozens of Palestinians, follow this link.
• And follow along with all our coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza here.

We will be closing this live page soon. Here is a recap of the main news:

• The UN Security Council adopted a US-sponsored resolution for an immediate ceasefire aimed at permanently ending Israel’s war on Gaza for the first time in eight months of bloodshed.
• Hamas welcomed the resolution and said it’s ready to cooperate with mediators on the plan’s implementation.
• The UN’s World Food Programme suspends aid distribution through the US-built pier off Gaza over safety concerns following Israel’s assault on Nuseirat which killed and wounded hundreds.
• Hezbollah says its air defence systems brought down an Israeli Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicle as it prepared to carry out attacks on southern Lebanon.
• The Pentagon said the US-built pier in Gaza was not used for Israel’s bloody Nuseirat camp raid “in any way”.

Mahmoud Abbas “welcomed” the UN Security Council vote adopting a US-drafted resolution supporting a ceasefire plan in Gaza.

“The Palestinian president considers the adoption of this resolution a step… to end the war of genocide against our people in the Gaza Strip,” Abbas’s office said in a statement.

Global charity Mercy Corp says now that the UN Security Council approved the ceasefire resolution, it must be “implemented fully and immediately” to save lives.

“There is no time to waste when over half of the population is on the verge of starving to death, and the rest facing catastrophic hunger,” said Kate Phillips-Barrasso, vice president of global policy and advocacy.

She said the people of Gaza have had everything taken from them and “can endure no more”.

“The events of this weekend in Nuseirat laid bare that nowhere and no one in Gaza is safe. The deal – if adhered to – would finally return the hostages to their families and ensure military actions to free them do not come at such a devastating and unacceptable civilian cost.

“A ceasefire will only turn the tide on this humanitarian catastrophe if it is permanent and the obstacles to aid delivery removed. The global community must ensure that this ceasefire is not just a temporary measure, but stops the fighting and paves the way for a sustained peace process.”

Israel is committed to its goals of freeing captives held in Gaza, destroying Hamas’s governing and military capabilities, and ensuring Gaza doesn’t pose a threat to Israel in the future, says UN representative Reut Shapir Ben Naftaly.

She made the comments after the UN Security Council unanimously voted for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. All Hamas needs to do to stop the war is put done its weapons and surrender, she added.

“Once these goals are met, the war will end. Not one more shot needs to be fired yet, sadly, for the past eight months, Hamas has refused,” she said.

“Israel will not engage in meaningless and endless negotiations, which can be exploited by Hamas as a means to stall for time,” said Ben Naftaly, the political coordinator for Israel’s mission to the UN.

“The time has come for this council to finally hold Hamas accountable, to finally place the blame where it belongs, to finally condemn terror.”

Moscow was the only member of the UN Security Council’s 15-member states and the only permanent representative to abstain on the US-promoted ceasefire plan.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia asked what Israel specifically agreed to and said the council should not be signing up to agreements with “vague parameters”.

“We did not wish to block the resolution simply because it, as much as we understand, is supported by the Arab world,” Nebenzia told the council.

The Palestinian leadership welcomed the passing of the US-sponsored resolution calling for an immediate and permanent truce in Gaza.

“This effort … is a step in the right direction. We are grateful for our brothers in Algeria, whom we worked with very closely to try to influence the draft resolution to be closer to the objectives of the national rights of the Palestinian people,” said Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations.

The UN World Food Programme earlier suspended aid deliveries to Gaza via a temporary US military pier to “assess the security situation”.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres, linked the move to the Israeli assault that freed four captives. In the attack, 274 Palestinians were killed and 700 wounded, including many women and children.

“World Food Programme colleagues tell us that we are temporarily pausing operations at the floating dock until a thorough assessment of the security situation is conducted to ensure the safety of our staff and our partners,” said Dujarric.

“We’ve all seen what happened in Gaza over the weekend. We’ve seen some of the media reports. We’ve also taken note of very public statements by the US Central Command that the floating pier had not been used in the operation by the Israeli forces regarding the hostages,” he added.

“I think it’s only normal after such an operation takes place with such a large number of victims, that our humanitarian colleagues take a pause [and] look at the situation. And hopefully, it can be returned to use as quickly as possible from our end.”

Agnes Callamard, the head of human rights group Amnesty International, urged all parties to the conflict to implement the UN Security Council’s Gaza ceasefire resolution.

“The US had previously blocked multiple ceasefire resolutions, including by using its veto three times. Its shift is long overdue. With more than 37,000 Palestinians dead, amid a risk of genocide and an engineered famine, its stalling has come at an extremely heavy price,” Callamard said.

“The US must now use its influence to ensure this ceasefire becomes a reality. It must halt arms transfers to Israel and ensure that Israeli authorities allow unfettered humanitarian aid access throughout Gaza.”

Mahmoud and Fatima Jarghoun, a Palestinian couple from Gaza, have been applying for about 18 years to make the Hajj pilgrimage.

Watch the video below:

Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh says the PA supports any resolution that calls for an immediate truce in Gaza and preserves Palestine’s land unity.

Abu Rudeineh’s comments came in response to the latest UN Security Council resolution backing a plan for a ceasefire in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says all governments in the Middle East should press Hamas to say “yes” to the ceasefire with Israel.

“If you want to alleviate the terrible suffering in Gaza, to get all the hostages home, to put Israelis and Palestinians on the path to durable peace — then press Hamas to say yes to the ceasefire,” he said.

Hamas released a statement welcoming the United Nations resolution shortly after it passed, and said it’s ready to work with mediators to implement it.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib says the passing of the UN Security Council ceasefire resolution is a “crucial step” towards peace.

“Belgium calls for the immediate implementation of the ceasefire. It’s urgent,” she said.

According to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, 9,300 are currently in Israeli prisons.

This includes:

• 2,056 who have been sentenced
• 3,794 who are detained
• 3,450 who are in administrative detention (without charge or trial)

The numbers include 9,021 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, 194 from the Gaza Strip (who are known to the rights group), and 85 from Israel proper.

The European Union in a statement called for the “immediate implementation” of the UN Security Council resolution for a Gaza truce.

“The EU recalls its full support to the comprehensive roadmap presented by United States President Joe Biden. We urge both parties to accept and implement the three-phase proposal,” it said.

“The EU stands ready to contribute to reviving a political process for a lasting and sustainable peace, based on the two-state solution, and to support a coordinated international effort to rebuild Gaza.”

That’s the big question moving forward: Can it be enforced and can it be implemented?

As you heard from Linda Thomas-Greenfield, she said the United States will help or encourage Israel to implement it, and she said Egypt and Qatar will help Hamas implement it.

So they are looking at this clear-eyed: Just because the Security Council passed this overwhelmingly, and it is binding under international law, it is now up to the parties to abide by it and implement it.

The US is saying very clearly that Israel has agreed to this. That puts a lot of pressure on Israel. This is clearly a diplomatic victory for the United States.