Israel-Gaza war: As fears grow that the Israel-Hamas conflict could spark a wider war, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) called for an immediate humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip on Friday.
The UNGA demanded aid access to the besieged Gaza Strip and protection of civilians. However, the UN resolution passed to a round of applause with 120 votes in favor, while 45 abstained, including India and 14 voted ‘no’, including the US and Israel. Iraq later changed its vote to yes from an abstention after complaining of a technical difficulty, so the final tally was 121 votes in favor and 44 abstentions. The UN General Assembly voted after the Security Council failed four times in the past two weeks to take action.
Here are the top 10 updates on this big story:
1. As war entered Day 22 on Saturday, the UN General Assembly called for “the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians who are being illegally held captive.” It did not name Hamas anywhere in the text.
2. India has abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that called for an immediate humanitarian truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict. It also called for unhindered humanitarian access in the Gaza Strip.
3. Hamas and the Palestinian Authority welcomed a UN General Assembly resolution Friday calling for a humanitarian truce in Gaza. “We demand its immediate application to allow the entry of fuel and humanitarian aid for civilians,” said a Hamas statement.
4. Israel knocked out internet and communications in the Gaza Strip on Friday. The Israeli military’s announcement signaled it was moving closer to an all-out invasion of Gaza, where it has vowed to crush the ruling Hamas militant group.
5. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that WHO has lost touch with its staff, health facilities, health workers, and the rest of its humanitarian partners on the ground in Gaza.
6. The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has urged the international community for immediate intervention to stop “rapid and dangerous developments” in Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.
7. The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says at least 7,326 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory strikes since the October 7 attack.
8. US fighter jets have launched airstrikes on two locations in eastern Syria linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, in retaliation for a slew of drone and missile attacks against US bases and personnel in the region that began early last week.
9. The outcome of Israel’s ground war in Gaza will be a “humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions for years to come”, Jordan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi said.
10. Israel’s military has told international news organisations Reuters and Agence France Presse that it cannot guarantee the safety of their journalists operating in the Gaza Strip, under Israeli bombardment.
Source: Mint