Algeria is circulating a proposed U.N. Security Council resolution that would demand an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and order Israel to halt its military offensive in the southern city of Rafah immediately,
AP reports.
The draft resolution, obtained Tuesday evening by The Associated Press, also demands that the cease-fire be respected by all parties. It also calls for the immediate release of all hostages taken during Hamas’ attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Some diplomats said they hoped for a quick vote, even as early as Wednesday.
“It is our hope that it can be done as quickly as possible because life is in the balance,” Chinese Ambassador Fu Cong told reporters.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: “We’re waiting to see it and then we’ll react to it.”
The United States has vetoed multiple resolutions demanding a cease-fire in Gaza.
The draft demands compliance with previous Security Council resolutions that call for the opening of all border crossings and humanitarian access to Gaza’s 2.3 million people who desperately need food and other aid.
The proposed resolution says that “the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip constitutes a threat to regional and international peace and security.” It expresses grave concern at “famine spreading throughout the Gaza Strip” and the suffering of Palestinians who took refuge in Rafah.
