ISRAEL CONTINUES TO WAGE WAR DESPITE UN CEASEFIRE VOTE

Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the Israeli military have continued to wage war on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

For the first time, the resolution was passed by the Council on Monday, after Israel’s closest ally the United States abstained. In previous resolutions, the US had always vetoed the ceasefire.

The resolution from Monday demanded an “immediate ceasefire” for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, leading to a “lasting” truce.

It also demands that Hamas and other militants free hostages they took during the October 7 attacks on Israel.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for the resolution to be implemented, saying “failure would be unforgivable”.

The US has stressed that their abstaining to vote did not mark a shift in policy, although it has taken an increasingly tougher line with Israel in recent weeks.
Israeli soldiers on top of a tank along the border with the Palestinian territory on March 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. Picture: Jack Guez / AFP
Israeli soldiers on top of a tank along the border with the Palestinian territory on March 26, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. Picture: Jack Guez / AFP

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Tuesday that civilian casualties in Gaza are “too high,” and said the two would talk about alternatives to a major Israeli operation in the territory’s south.

“In Gaza today, the number of civilian casualties is far too high, and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low,” Austin said at the beginning of the meeting, adding that it would include discussion of alternatives for targeting Hamas in Rafah. Gallant meanwhile said they would talk about “developments in Gaza and the means to achieve our goals: the destruction of Hamas organization and bringing back the Israeli hostages.”

Hamas welcomed the Security Council resolution and reaffirmed its readiness to negotiate the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Despite mounting international criticism, Israel has continued to defend its stance on the war in Gaza.

On the ground, the fighting rages on unabated.

In southern Gaza’s Rafah, a key flashpoint in the war, witnesses said Israeli jets pummelled the city on Tuesday.

According to the Israeli army, anti-rocket sirens sounded in Israeli areas around the Gaza Strip.

While Rafah, like other areas around the Gaza Strip, has come under frequent Israeli strikes, it is the only part of the territory where Israel has not yet sent in ground troops.

Netanyahu’s determination to launch a ground operation in Rafah, the city on Gaza’s southern border where most of the territory’s population is sheltering, has become a key point of contention between Israel and the United States.