In an effort to avoid the UN Council’s veto, Egypt and the US conclude an aid deal for Gaza
Health authorities in Gaza say around 20,000 people, most of whom are women and children, have been killed in Israel’s campaign, and the UN has warned of a humanitarian disaster as civilian and health care infrastructure in the area collapses.
UN officials said earlier this month that nearly 60 percent of people in Gaza were on the brink of famine, and they issued a new warning Thursday that there was a “risk of famine” in the area within the next six months.
“The delivery of humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip continues to face almost insurmountable challenges,” Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the Security Council on Tuesday. “Amid displacement on an unimaginable scale and active hostilities, the humanitarian response system is on the brink.”
The United Arab Emirates, the only Arab country currently on the 15-member council, initially issued a resolution calling for a “cessation of hostilities.” The text was later revised to call for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to allow full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access.”
The draft resolution also called for the immediate release of all hostages and the delivery of commercial goods to Gaza to supplement the limited aid entering the territory. It was not clear what language was in the last draft the Council considered. It was not made public Thursday afternoon.
As international demands for a ceasefire have increased, Israel has also come under increased internal pressure to quickly reach an agreement that could free the hostages still held in Gaza, especially after three of them had been accidentally shot by Israeli soldiers last week.
The three hostages, all Israelis, were unarmed and carrying a makeshift white flag, according to the Israeli military, which said the shooting violated the rules of engagement. Israel says Hamas is still holding 129 hostages.
Through Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Israel and Hamas have been involved in fragile negotiations over a possible ceasefire and hostage situation.
But they have not reached an agreement since a weeklong truce collapsed on December 1. During that temporary ceasefire, more than 100 people kidnapped in the October 7 attack were released in exchange for more than 200 Palestinians imprisoned or held in Israel. The temporary ceasefire also allowed more aid to flow into Gaza.
Since then, humanitarian aid has trickled through Rafah, a key border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, following a complicated screening system that requires trucks to first travel to Israel for inspection, then return to Egypt and cross into Gaza.
As the Council continued its internal debate, Israeli officials sent mixed signals on Thursday about their vision for the future of the Gaza Strip, suggesting that Israel could be amenable to a reformed Palestinian Authority governing the territory, but later said that misinterpreted the government’s position.
Questions surrounding the future governance of Gaza have fueled tensions between President Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. Mr Biden has said the Palestinian Authority, which administers part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, should also administer Gaza after the war as a step toward a Palestinian state. Mr Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out allowing the authority to control Gaza and has said Israel should be responsible for Gaza’s security for the foreseeable future.
Tzachi Hanegbi, Netanyahu’s national security adviser, appeared to soften that position in a column published Wednesday in Elafa Saudi-owned Arabic-language news channel.
“Israel recognizes the desire of the international community and regional states to integrate the Palestinian Authority the day after Hamas,” he wrote. “We emphasize that this process will necessitate fundamental reform of the Palestinian Authority.”
But in a briefing later in the day, a senior Israeli official said the column had been misinterpreted and that the government’s position had not changed.
“We are aware of the fact that everyone would very much like the Palestinian Authority to be part of the Gaza solution the next day, but that is not possible with the way things are now,” the senior official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. . He said the authority cannot be a partner because it does not “participate in a vision of reconciliation.”
Roni Caryn Rabin contributed reporting.