Israel is currently facing a new wave of international pressure aimed at establishing a ceasefire in Gaza as anticipation builds for an upcoming United Nations vote, coupled with the revival of Western diplomatic efforts. This unfolding situation persists despite the United States' promise to continue supplying its ally, Israel, with military armaments.
The International Security Council is set to convene today to examine an appeal for an immediate cessation of hostilities within the besieged Gaza Strip, following a U.S. veto against a previous attempt to broker a truce.
A draft resolution has been proposed, demanding "an urgent and sustained halt to the hostilities" in Gaza to ensure "the safe and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid."
Initially scheduled for a vote on Monday, the United Arab Emirates, the last to submit the resolution text, has requested that the voting be delayed until Tuesday to allow for further intricate negotiations, as reported by diplomatic sources to Agence France-Presse.
Qatar, which played a significant role in mediating last month's week-long ceasefire, has mentioned that diplomatic efforts continue to renew the humanitarian truce outside of the UN framework.
Additionally, it's expected that the British Foreign Minister, David Cameron, will meet with the French and Italian presidents to advocate for a "sustained ceasefire" in the Israeli campaign against Gaza, according to his office.
International concern is escalating regarding the plight of Gaza Strip residents, who have endured daily bombardments by Israel, a scarcity of food, medicine, water, power outages, and mass displacement.
On Monday, the European Union's senior diplomat, Josep Borrell, accused Israel of a "startling lack of discrimination" in its Gaza campaign between civilian targets and resistance, while Human Rights Watch yesterday charged Israel with using the starvation of civilians in Gaza as a weapon, amounting to a war crime.
Since the onset of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7th last year, casualties have risen to 19,453 Palestinians killed, including 52,286 wounded, mostly children and women, in addition to widespread infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in the already blockaded enclave.
Unconditional US Support
In contrast, during his visit to Israel on Monday, the US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, pledged ongoing military support to Tel Aviv, which has already received billions of dollars in military aid from Washington.
Austin stated, "We will continue to supply Israel with the equipment you need to defend your country, including essential ammunition, tactical vehicles, and air defense systems."
Austin's comments come amidst a Middle Eastern tour at a time of growing concern that the conflict could spill over into the region, with Yemen's Houthi group intercepting and attacking shipping vessels en route to Israel through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, in solidarity with the Gaza Strip against the Israeli aggression.
