The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its first demand for a ceasefire in Gaza, with the US angering Israel by abstaining from the vote.
Israel responded by cancelling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war began. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the US of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease-fire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Meanwhile, Hamas has informed mediators that it will stick to its original proposal of reaching a comprehensive ceasefire, which includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians. The group presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the United States in mid-March.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Relations between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu sank to a wartime low on Monday with the US allowing the passage of a Gaza ceasefire resolution at the United Nations and drawing a sharp rebuke from the Israeli leader. Netanyahu abruptly scrapped a visit to Washington this week by a senior delegation to discuss Israel’s threatened offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The suspension of that meeting puts a major new obstacle in the way of efforts by the US, concerned about a deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, to get Netanyahu to consider alternatives to a ground invasion of Rafah, the last relatively safe haven for Palestinian civilians.
Following the development, US spokesperson John Kirby said the UN Security Council resolution is a ‘a non-binding resolution, so there’s no impact at all on Israel’s ability to continue to go after Hamas’. Also, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he has ‘conveyed President Biden’s iron-clad support for Israel’s security and defense against all threats, including Iran’.
Hamas says it has informed mediators that the terror group will stick to its original position on reaching a comprehensive ceasefire, which includes the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, a return of displaced Palestinians and a ‘real’ exchange of prisoners. It also demanded what it called “a real exchange of prisoners”, referring to the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
Hamas presented a Gaza ceasefire proposal to mediators and the United States in mid-March that included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for freedom for Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences.
In the early hours of Tuesday, three rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the southern city of Sderot. All three were intercepted by air defenses, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Sirens were sounded in Sderot and nearby communities.
The Israeli Defence Forces said a fighter jet carried out an airstrike on a building used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon’s Mays al-Jabal early on Tuesday. In a separate incident, the IDF says a drone spotted Hezbollah operatives at a post in Abou Chach and directed a fighter jet to strike it. The forces also said they shelled rocket and missile launching positions in southern Lebanon with artillery, following attacks on northern Israel throughout the day.