The U.N. Security Council has approved a ceasefire resolution to provide a period of aid and peace for Gaza during the tail-end of the holy month Ramadan.
The resolution, which received 14-0 votes of the 15 member council with an abstaining vote from the U.S., caused an immediate international response as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a scheduled trip for Israeli delegates to travel to Washington D.C. for discussion of Israel’s offensive plans in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza that has become the safe haven of 1.4 million Palestinians.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear last night that if the US withdraws from its principled position, he will not send the Israeli delegation to the US. In light of the change in the American position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided that the delegation would not go,” the prime minister’s office said in a public statement on the matter, reflecting frustration with the U.S. not utilizing its veto power on the matter for the conditions pertaining to hostages held on both sides of the conflict.
Although the delegate meeting was canceled after this move by the U.S., Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, proceeded to visit Washington D.C to visit with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
The resolution, if implemented successfully, demands the immediate release of all hostages captured by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack that resulted in 1,200 individuals deaths, but does not list it as a condition for the ceasefire. The Gaza Ministry of Health has claimed that approximately 32,000 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s offensive military response after this initial attack.
With Ramadan ending on April 9, just over two weeks away, there is a limited window for the ceasefire resolution to be adopted successfully for the original timeframe.
Hamas has expressed its support for the ceasefire if it is to remain permanent.
“We confirm our readiness to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides,” the group said.
