The UN Security Council is expected to vote on Tuesday on an Arab-backed resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, which the United States announced it will veto.
Algeria, the Arab representative on the council, put the draft resolution in a final form that can be voted on. Council diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly, said the vote will take place Tuesday morning.
In addition to a ceasefire, the final Algerian draft, obtained by The Associated Press, reiterates council demands that Israel and Hamas 바카라scrupulously comply바카라 with international law, especially the protection of civilians, and rejects the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians.
The draft also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages taken by Hamas during their surprise October 7 attacks in southern Israel. Some 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken captive, with over 100 still believed to be held in Gaza.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement that the United States has been working on a hostage deal for months that would bring at least six weeks of calm 바카라from which we could then take the time and the steps to build a more enduring peace.바카라
She said US President Joe Biden has had multiple calls over the last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar to push the deal forward.
바카라Though gaps remain, the key elements are on the table바카라 and it remains the best opportunity to reunite hostages with their families and enable a prolonged pause in fighting which would allow lifesaving aid to get to Palestinian civilians who desperately need it, Thomas-Greenfield said. Qatar said on Saturday the talks 바카라have not been progressing as expected.바카라
By contrast, the Arab-backed resolution wouldn't achieve those outcomes, 바카라and indeed, may run counter to them,바카라 she said. 바카라For that reason, the United States does not support action on this draft resolution. Should it come up for a vote as drafted, it will not be adopted.바카라
The 22 Arab countries at the United Nations have been demanding a ceasefire for months as Israel's military offensive in response to the Hamas attacks has intensified, with the number of Palestinians killed surpassing 28,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The Arab Group chair this month, Tunisia's UN Ambassador Tarek Ladeb, told UN reporters last Wednesday that some 1.5 million Palestinians who sought safety in Gaza's southern city of Rafah face a 바카라catastrophic scenario바카라 if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes ahead with a potential evacuation of civilians and military offensive in the area bordering Egypt.
Netanyahu ordered the military to come up with a plan for Rafah's evacuation, but Israel hasn't announced a timeline.
The Algeria draft resolution also expresses 바카라grave concern over the dire and urgently deteriorating humanitarian situation바카라 in Gaza and reiterates the council's call for unhindered humanitarian access throughout the territory, where UN officials say a quarter of the 2.3 million population is facing starvation.
The Security Council has adopted two resolutions on Gaza, with the US, Israel's closest ally, abstaining on both.
Its first resolution on November 15 called for 바카라urgent and extended humanitarian pauses바카라 in Gaza to address the escalating crisis for Palestinian civilians during Israel's aerial and ground attacks.
On December 22, the council adopted a watered-down resolution calling for immediately speeding aid deliveries to hungry and desperate civilians in Gaza, but without the original plea for an 바카라urgent suspension of hostilities바카라 between Israel and Hamas.
It did call for 바카라creating the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.바카라 The steps are not defined, but diplomats said it was the council's first reference to stopping fighting.
