The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution that demands a ceasefire in Gaza for the rest of Ramadan.
The Muslim holy month began on 10 March and is set to finish on 9 April – meaning the council is calling for a two-week ceasefire.
The resolution, put forward by the 10 elected council members, is backed by Russia and China and the 22-nation Arab Group at the United Nations.
Before the vote, local media reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to cancel a planned visit to Washington with a delegation if the US did not veto the proposal.
On Friday, Russia and China vetoed a US-sponsored resolution that would have supported “an immediate and sustained ceasefire” in the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
That resolution marked the first time the US backed a resolution containing with the word “ceasefire” during the war in Gaza, reflecting a toughening of the Biden administration’s stance toward Israel.
Today’s vote came as the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres says there is a “growing consensus” that an Israeli ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah would be a “catastrophic humanitarian disaster”.
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Source : Sky News
