By Jerald Jimenez
Dec 24, 2023, 11:08 AM EST
The UN Security Council approved a resolution on Friday to promote the sending of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, where the population has suffered crises due to the lack of basic resources and the health collapse after the war started by Hamas against Israel. .
Despite the resolution, a demand for a ceasefire was not included. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to thank him for his position on the Security Council, where the United States abstained along with Russia, to avoid the veto it had exercised on two occasions. prior to similar initiatives.
Netanyahu told Biden that Israel will continue the war until it achieves its objectives, which are the destruction of Hamas and the rescue of all the hostages that the Islamist group is holding in the Strip.
For his part, Biden expressed his concern about the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers in Gaza, and urged him to facilitate their evacuation from combat zones. The two leaders also discussed negotiations to free the hostages, and agreed to stay in touch.
The UN resolution, presented by the United Arab Emirates, asks the Secretary General, António Guterres, to appoint a special coordinator to supervise and verify the sending of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave, and also calls on all parties to respect international law. humanitarian aid and to ensure safe and unhindered access to assistance.
Hamas, which de facto controls the Gaza Strip, considered the resolution “insufficient” and accused the White House of “emptying it of its essence” and allowing Israel to continue its “mission of destruction, slaughter and terrorism” in Gaza. “defying the will of the international community.” The Islamist group demanded a definitive ceasefire and the lifting of the blockade imposed by Israel since 2007.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dramatic, with more than 20,200 dead and 1.9 million displaced, almost the entire population in the Strip. The shortage of drinking water, food, medicine, electricity and fuel, added to the outbreak of epidemics and winter, aggravates the living conditions of the inhabitants.
Although Israel allows trucks with humanitarian aid to enter, the process is slow and insufficient, as Israeli authorities thoroughly check each truck before it crosses the border.
The only truce that has occurred in the conflict was in November, when Qatar, Egypt and the United States mediated to achieve a seven-day ceasefire, which allowed the release of 105 Israeli hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinians imprisoned in Israeli jails. But the agreement has not been maintained and the clashes have intensified again.
With information from the EFE agency