On Sunday night, it became clear that the UN Security Council will most likely vote on the proposal for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday, according to Reuters. For the proposal to be adopted, the Security Council needs at least nine votes from the fifteen members and no veto votes from the US, UK, China or Russia. Meeting of the UN Security Council on the crisis in the Gaza Strip on 23 January. Photo: Eduardo Munoz / Reuters The latest proposal for a ceasefire was outlined by Algeria over two weeks ago, but the US ambassador and representative in the Security Council, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned even then that the proposal could put “sensitive negotiations” on a break in the war in danger. – The US does not support this proposal. If it is put to a vote as it is now outlined, it will not be adopted, says Thomas-Greenfield in a statement on Saturday. According to AFP, the proposal involves a demand for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian grounds. In the text, which the news agency should have obtained access to on Saturday, the immediate release of all hostages is required, in addition to the fact that the forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population is not accepted. Peace negotiations run aground On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also put an end to the peace negotiations in Cairo. At a press conference, he was asked why the Israeli negotiators had not returned to the negotiating table for further talks after they concluded a round of meetings on Tuesday. – We got nothing but unrealistic demands from Hamas, Netanyahu said, according to Reuters. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a press conference in Tel Aviv on October 28 last year. Photo: Abir Sultan / AP He claims Israel’s delegates listened, but that the other party did not move “one nanometre”. The Prime Minister sees no point in continuing the negotiations until they see a change. Netanyahu also rejected a peace proposal earlier this month on the grounds that the demands of Hamas were delusional. Rising death toll At least ten Palestinian civilians have been killed on the night of Sunday in Israeli attacks against Deir el-Balah and cultivated land on the outskirts of Rafah, according to the Wafa news agency. The health authorities in Gaza also state that Israeli forces have arrested a large number of employees at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. According to The Guardian, at least 120 patients and five medical teams were trapped on Saturday at the hospital, which is occupied by Israeli forces, without water, food or electricity. On Sunday, the health authorities state that the Nasser hospital is completely out of business and only has four employees who take care of patients. So far, at least 28,858 Palestinians have been killed and 68,667 injured since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. 1139 Israelis have been killed. ICJ rejected urgent proposal On Friday, the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague rejected a South African proposal to introduce urgent measures to protect Rafah in the Gaza Strip. In a statement, the court said the “dangerous situation” in Rafah “requires the immediate and effective implementation of the interim measures” decided on January 26. There, Israel was required to do everything it can to prevent death, destruction and genocide in the Gaza Strip. These temporary orders apply until the ICJ makes a final judgment in the genocide case against Israel, which may take several years. According to AP, the ICJ states that no new order is necessary, because the existing measures already apply to the entire Gaza Strip, including Rafah. New warning from Guterres UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday warned Israel once again against taking seriously the threat to send ground forces into Rafah, where over 1.1 million internally displaced Palestinians have sought refuge from the Israeli attacks further north in the enclave. Rafah is central to the UN’s aid work in the Gaza Strip, and the consequences of a ground invasion will therefore be very serious, he says. – The scale of death and destruction is in itself shocking. A comprehensive offensive against the city will be completely devastating for Palestinian civilians who are already barely surviving, says Guterres. Netanyahu, for his part, says that those who oppose sending ground forces into Rafah are asking Israel to lose the war against Hamas. Late on Saturday, he also said that the military operation will be carried out even if an agreement to release the hostages is reached.
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The UN Security Council will probably vote on a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza on Tuesday – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
