UNSC adopts resolution regarding Gaza ceasefire, Hamas welcomes it
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The UN Security Council adopts a US-drafted resolution welcoming Biden's Gaza ceasefire proposal.
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Palestinians look at the destruction after an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine, June 3, 2024. (AP)
The United Nations Security Council on Monday adopted a resolution welcoming the Gaza ceasefire proposal put forth by US President Joe Biden.
The resolution, drafted by the United States, received overwhelming support, with 14 members voting in favor and Russia abstaining.
The ceasefire proposal, announced by Biden on May 31, outlines a new three-phase plan aimed at achieving "a lasting cessation of hostilities" in the Gaza Strip and the release of all captives held by Hamas.
Hamas welcomed the ceasefire proposal. "We welcome the contents of the Security Council resolution regarding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, complete withdrawal, the return of displaced persons, and reconstruction."
The Resistance group emphasized its firm stance against any demographic changes or reduction in the area of the Gaza Strip and highlighted the need for essential aid to support the people in the territory.
Moreover, the representative of Hamas in Lebanon, Ahmad Abdul-Hadi, told Al Mayadeen that the UNSC's resolution is a direct result of the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and their Resistance.
The representative warned against the continuous threats issued by Israeli officials regarding the continuation of the war on Gaza despite the decision, stressing that these statements should be reviewed by the UNSC.
The United States called on the United Nations Security Council last Monday to adopt a resolution supporting the Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance laid out by President Joe Biden, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
US ceasefire proposal
The US circulated a one-page draft text to the 15-member council. For the resolution to pass, it requires at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes from the US, France, Britain, China, or Russia.
Failing to call on the Israeli occupation forces to end its war machine, the draft urges Hamas to accept the deal and "fully and implement its terms without delay and without condition."
The White House had earlier said Biden told the emir of mediator Qatar that he saw Hamas as "the only obstacle to a complete ceasefire" in Gaza and urged him to press the Palestinian Resistance group to accept it.
Biden claimed that this is the most effective step toward de-escalating the ongoing war, adding, "With a ceasefire, that aid could be safely and effectively distributed to all who need it."
"As someone who's had a lifelong commitment to Israel, as the only American president who has ever gone to Israel at a time of war, as someone who just sent the US forces to directly defend Israel when it was attacked by Iran, I ask you to take a step back, think what will happen if this moment is lost," he stressed. "We can't lose this moment."
"It's time for this war to end and for the day after to begin," emphasized Biden, who is under the pressure of an election year and amid the ongoing Israeli aggression, which has persisted for eight months.
But it is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office that stressed that the ongoing war on Gaza would continue until all "goals are achieved," including the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities, and it is Netanyahu's extremist ministers who are threatening to leave the government in the event that he accepts the deal.
The US text also "stresses the importance of the parties adhering to the terms of the deal once agreed, with the aim of bringing about a permanent cessation of hostilities."
