A woman gestures after finding her home after Egypt’s brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed on May 21, 2021 in Beit Hanoun, Gaza.
Mustafa Hassona | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The UN Security Council on Saturday called for “full compliance” with the ceasefire in Gaza and, in its first statement on the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas, called for immediate humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians.
The ceasefire, which went into effect on Friday at 2 a.m. local time, has so far taken place just a few hours after the official start of the ceasefire, despite clashes in Jerusalem in front of the Al-Aqsa mosque between Israeli police and Palestinians.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of the holiest places in Islam and is located in what is known in Judaism as the Temple Mount, the holiest place in the religion. Clashes in the complex were one of the factors that started the war.
The Security Council called for a “full restoration of calm” and stressed “the achievement of a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region in which two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, stand side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders Life”.
The US had previously prevented the most powerful body in the United Nations from calling for an end to the conflict, arguing that doing so would hinder the Biden administration’s diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire.
Israel hit Gaza with dozens of air strikes and Hamas militants fired more than 4,000 rockets at Israel. Palestinian doctors said at least 248 people were killed in Gaza, including 66 children and 39 women. At least 12 people were killed in Israel, all civilians except one soldier.
The Security Council “mourned the loss of civilians as a result of the violence” and expressed its support for the UN Secretary-General’s call for an “integrated, robust support package for rapid and sustainable reconstruction and reconstruction” to be developed.
More than 77,000 Palestinians have been displaced and, according to Palestinian officials, the cost of rebuilding Gaza could run into tens of millions of dollars, damaging infrastructure, affecting water, sanitation and sanitation services.
The UN announced on Friday that it had released US $ 22.5 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza. A day earlier, President Joe Biden had promised that the US would work with the United Nations to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and help rebuild the Gaza Strip.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to Israel and the West Bank next week to build on the ceasefire, according to Reuters. The Egyptian mediators continue to hold talks with Hamas and Israel to ensure a longer-term calm after the ceasefire
– Reuters contributed to the coverage
