War on Gaza: Russia resolution fails at UN Security Council

Russia’s resolution, which called for a full humanitarian ceasefire and was introduced in opposition to a US resolution calling for ‘humanitarian pauses’, failed at the UN Security Council, yesterday, Al Jazeera reports.

The resolution received four votes in favour, including from Russia and China. The US and UK voted against it, while nine other members abstained.

The US was expected to veto the resolution had it garnered enough votes to put it on the path to approval.

The US resolution had called for “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza.

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The US, Albania, France, Ecuador, Gabon, Ghana, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, and the UK voted in favour. Brazil and Mozambique abstained.

Only the five permanent members of the Security Council – China, the US, France, the UK, and Russia – have veto power.

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council held an open debate on the crisis on Tuesday, where ministers from several Member States underscored the need to urgently address the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza and called for an end to the intense Israeli bombardment that is exacting a heavy toll on Palestinian civilians.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden yesterday spoke out against retaliatory attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank in the aftermath of the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel, the Associated Press reports.

The US president also said he was redoubling his commitment to working on a two-state solution to end the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict.

Biden said that the attacks by “extremist settlers” amounted to “pouring gasoline” on the already burning fires in the Middle East.

Settler violence against Palestinians has intensified since the Hamas attack, and settlers have killed Palestinians, according to Palestinian authorities. Rights groups say settlers have torched cars and attacked several small Bedouin communities, forcing them to evacuate to other areas.

Biden again condemned the brutality of the Hamas attack that killed 1,400 Israelis and said that he was convinced that Hamas was driven in part by a desire to undo US-led efforts to normalize Israeli relations with some of its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.

Biden also said that after the Israel-Hamas conflict comes to an end, Israelis, Palestinians and their partners must work toward a two-state solution.

“Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live side by side in safety, dignity and peace. When this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next. And in our view, it has to be a two-state solution.

Death toll hits 6,546 in Gaza 

The war between Israel and Hamas entered its 19th Day on Wednesday and is the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides.

Citing the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, Al Jazeera reported that at least 6,546 people in Gaza have been killed in Israeli strikes since 7 October. It said the dead included 2,055 children. Additionally, it said 18,125 people had been wounded in both Gaza Strip and West Bank.

The ministry added that the healthcare system in Gaza is in a state of complete collapse.

According to Israeli official reports, death toll in Israel stands at 1,405 with – 5,431 people injured.

‘Starvation as a weapon’ against civilians in Gaza

Oxfam has described the situation in Gaza as “horrific” with millions being “collectively punished in full view of the world”.

“There can be no justification for using starvation as a weapon of war. World leaders cannot continue to sit back and watch, they have an obligation to act,” the UK-based charity said in a statement.

It noted under international humanitarian law it is strictly prohibited to use starvation as a “method of warfare”.

“As the occupying power in Gaza, Israel is bound by [legal] obligations to provide for the needs and protection of the population of Gaza.”

Israel has imposed a total blockade on the Strip and it has exhausted its supplies of food, water and fuel.

Guterres says it’s false to say he ‘justified’ Hamas attacks

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres says he was left “shocked” by Israel’s “misrepresentations” of remarks he made at a meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I have condemned unequivocally the horrifying and unprecedented October 7 acts of terror by Hamas in Israel,” the UN secretary-general said.

“Nothing can justify the deliberate killing and kidnapping of civilians, or the launching of rockets against civilian targets.”

During a speech at the 15-member body on Tuesday, Guterres said the Hamas attack “did not happen in a vacuum” as the Palestinians have been “subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation”.

In response, Israeli officials called for his resignation.