A cease-fire on the horizon?; Security Council today on the US resolution

The US draft resolution states that "an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is imperative" in order to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than two million starving Palestinians, AP reports.

US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, expressed hope that the 15-member Security Council will approve the new draft resolution today.

The proposal contains an imperative for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, with no direct link to the release of hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 attack on Israel, which was a clause in the previous draft, according to the AP.

The Security Council has already adopted two resolutions on the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, but they do not call for a ceasefire.

At the end of October 2023, Russia and China vetoed a resolution submitted by the USA calling for an end to the fighting in order to deliver humanitarian aid, protect civilians and stop arming Hamas.

The US, Israel's closest ally, has vetoed three previous resolutions calling for a ceasefire.

Nate Evans, spokesman for the US mission to the UN, said that the new resolution is "an opportunity for the Security Council to be unanimous."

The US draft resolution for the first time condemns "all acts of terrorism", including the attacks led by Hamas on October 7 last year, the taking and killing of hostages, the killing of civilians and sexual violence, including rape.