KUALA LUMPUR – The UN Security Council (UNSC) has been urged by Russia to vote on Monday (US time) on a draft resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in the escalating Israel-Palestine conflict, and to condemn violence against civilians.
Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said the vote is expected at 3pm Monday (3am Tuesday Malaysian time) and no changes have been made to the resolution after it was distributed to the 15 members a day ago.
According to Reuters, the one-page draft resolution calls for the release of hostages, humanitarian aid access and the safe evacuation of civilians.
However, it did not directly name Hamas, which had launched a surprise attack recently involving dozens of fighters, with the objective to end Israeli “violations”.
In response, the Israeli army initiated Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, leading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare that “we are at war”.
For a UNSC draft resolution to pass, it needs at least nine votes and no vetoes by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China or Russia.
This morning, US media reported that aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and its strike group have been deployed to join the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier in a show of support for Israel.
It was reported that Israel would launch a ground assault on the Gaza Strip and gave Palestinians 24 hours to evacuate. Israel’s military also vowed to expand its war on Gaza with “coordinated attacks from the air, sea and land”.
Gaza has already been under intense bombardment by Israel, with at least 2,215 Palestinians dead and 8,700 wounded. Israel also reported a death toll of 1,300, with more than 3,400 wounded since the Hamas attack. – October 15, 2023