UN adopts resolution calling for humanitarian pause in Gaza The United Nations security council has voted to adopt a draft resolution from Malta calling for a humanitarian pause in fighting in Gaza, and greater efforts to allow humanitarian aid into the war-ravaged territory. Twelve nations voted for the resolution, with three abstentions, including the US and UK. With no votes against, security council president Zhang Jun announced the resolution had passed. The resolution calls for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to enable… the full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access”. It demands compliance with international law, specifically the protection of civilians, especially children, and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups. Four previous similar resolutions presented to UN had failed. Riyad Mansour, permanent observer of Palestine to the United Nations, wants Israel held accountable by the United Nations is it does not heed the terms of the security council resolution calling for humanitarian pauses in the fighting in Gaza: The foreign ministry of the state of Israel rejected this resolution adopted few minutes ago and said they will not implement it, and they will continue with their course of action as they wish. What are you going to do? You just adopted a resolution. They told you, ‘we are not going to implement it’. You have been calling on Israel for 40 days to uphold the laws of war. And it has chosen to continue breaching them openly. Are you going to hold it accountable for rejecting the UN resolution you’ve adopted this afternoon? Nothing justifies war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Nothing. And there is no honor in defending Israel when it is committing such crimes. The United Nations security council meeting is now adjourned. Israel: UN resolution "detached from the reality on the ground" Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, has told the United Nations that the just-adopted resolution calling for humanitarian pauses in the fighting in Gaza, and the creation of more humanitarian aid corridors, is “detached from the reality on the ground”. In an address to the security council effectively announcing Israel would not abide by the resolution, but was already “doing everything possible to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza”, Erdan said: This council has just adopted a resolution that is regretfully detached from the reality on the ground. This council … still has not succeeded in condemning Hamas’s October 7 massacre. The resolution focuses solely on the humanitarian situation in Gaza [and] makes no mention of what led up to this moment. Israel does not need a resolution to remind us to adhere to international law. Israel always adheres to international law. Bringing our hostages home is Israel’s top priority. Israel will continue to do whatever it takes to accomplish this goal. Meanwhile, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, is explaining to the security council why his country joined the US and UK in abstaining from supporting the humanitarian pause resolution: The main [reason] is a lack of a call for an immediate ceasefire. This was, and remains, the top imperative. Any humanitarian actions require an immediate end to fighting. It is impossible to clear up collapsed buildings or evacuate people under shelling and it’s impossible to bring in much needed to fuel without which electrical energy will soon run out in Gaza hospitals. Furthermore, without supplies of fuel and in the next few hours … the inhabitants of the enclave will be without any communication without intranet and completely isolated from the outside world. Nebenza said the resolution was too weak: Humanitarian pauses are not and cannot be a replacement for a ceasefire, or even a truce. As the old saying goes, the mountain has labored and brought forth a mouse. The International Rescue Committee is among the first aid organizations to respond to the passing of the UN resolution calling for humanitarian pauses and aid corridors in Gaza. In a statement, the group said: This is long overdue. This resolution also highlights the responsibilities of all parties under international humanitarian law. This is welcome. The resolution should be an important first step. It is now incumbent upon all parties to the conflict, and all UN member states to do everything in their power to help turn these words into action. The suffering in Gaza is a massive humanitarian emergency which the world must address. The entire civilian population requires urgent, life-saving support and the response capacity has been decimated. UN security council resolution at a glance Here’s a reminder of what’s in the resolution about the Israel-Gaza conflict that the UN security council has just passed: It calls for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to enable … the full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access”. It demands compliance with international law, specifically the protection of civilians, especially children, and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups. It does not condemn the actions of Hamas, a point of contention for the US and UK, key allies of Israel. But because those two countries voted to abstain, rather than veto the proposal, the resolution became the first to pass of the five presented to the UN since the conflict began last month. Barbara Woodward, the UK ambassador to the UN, also abstained from the security council vote. But she said the resolution was “absolutely necessary”, and that it was “vital and overdue for the council to speak on this crisis”. “The UK regrets that the first resolution passed by this council on this matter could not clearly condemn the mass terrorist attacks of the 7th of October … [but] I commend Malta’s astounding work in bringing this resolution that could pass. “We will continue to work with council members to resolve this crisis and to create a new political horizon so that we can deliver on the promise of peace for Israelis and Palestinians, and make the two-state solution a reality.” Woodward said it was “unconscionable” that Hamas continued to hold hostages in Gaza. US welcomes UN resolution on humanitarian pause and aid corridors The adoption by the United Nations security council of a resolution calling for a humanitarian pause in hostilities in Gaza is the first global agreement on the conflict, yet is not binding on Israel. The vote carried 12-0, with three abstentions. One of the abstentions was the US, with Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the nation’s ambassador to the UN, telling the council: “[We] could not vote yes on a text that did not condemn Hamas or reaffirm the right of all member states to protect their citizens from terrorist attacks”. But, she said, she welcomed the adoption of the resolution: Although the US is deeply disappointed by what is not in this text, we support many of the important provisions this council has adopted. For starters, while this text does not include a condemnation of Hamas, this is the first time we’ve ever adopted a resolution that even mentions the word Hamas. I’m horrified that a few members of this council still cannot bring themselves to condemn the barbaric terrorist attack that Hamas carried out against Israel on October 7. What are they afraid of? What is stopping them from unequivocally condemning the actions of a terrorist organization that is determined to kill Jews? And that gunned down civilians, burned families alive, and executed children? A group that killed and took hostages, including children from over a dozen countries, including the US. There’s no excuse for failing to condemn these acts of terror. She added that Israel was also required to protect human life: We’ve been clear as to our expectation that parties to the conflict will comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law. And for Israel, this is an added responsibility. We’ve been clear at the highest levels, Hamas’s actions do not lessen Israel’s responsibility to protect innocent people in Gaza. The resolution, she said, would not save lives on its own. “We all need to support the heroic efforts of the UN and other humanitarian workers in Gaza. And we all need to work with partners in the region to secure the release of all hostages,” she said. UN adopts resolution calling for humanitarian pause in Gaza The United Nations security council has voted to adopt a draft resolution from Malta calling for a humanitarian pause in fighting in Gaza, and greater efforts to allow humanitarian aid into the war-ravaged territory. Twelve nations voted for the resolution, with three abstentions, including the US and UK. With no votes against, security council president Zhang Jun announced the resolution had passed. The resolution calls for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to enable… the full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access”. It demands compliance with international law, specifically the protection of civilians, especially children, and calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups. Four previous similar resolutions presented to UN had failed. Malta tells UN: Gaza is a "graveyard for children" The UN security council is now discussing Malta’s resolution as filed. Vanessa Frazier, the country’s ambassador to the UN, says: “Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children.” Her country’s proposal for a humanitarian pause in fighting “would facilitate the continuous sufficient and unhindered provision of essential goods and services important to the well being of civilians, especially children”, she says. “Children are suffering disproportionately in this conflict. We cannot close a blind eye to their suffering … I urge all council members to support this draft resolution.” Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, has proposed to the security council’s meeting an amendment to Malta’s resolution calling for “an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities”. He is attacking the US, condemning it for blocking other recent proposals for a pause in the conflict: I would like to ask our American colleagues, during work on the Maltese draft you struck out anything that could in any way indicate the need for a cessation of hostilities. Does this mean that you are in favor of the war in the Middle East continuing indefinitely? Security council president Zhang Jun called a vote on adopting Russia’s amendment. US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield voted against; there were nine abstentions and the proposed amendment failed to reach the required number of votes. UN security council discussing "humanitarian pause" proposal Members of the United Nations security council have just begun their meeting in New York to discuss and vote on a draft resolution from Malta calling for humanitarian pauses to the fighting in Gaza, and a stepping up of efforts to allow aid into the war-torn territory. Moments before the meeting was called to order, Riyad Mansour, permanent observer of Palestine to the UN, issued a scathing two-page letter accusing Israel of “a grave breach of international humanitarian law” by raiding the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. In his letter, addressed to security council president Zhang Jun of China, Mansour wrote: We witnessed today a horrific attack by Israeli occupying forces … Violating all norms, Israeli soldiers violently attacked al-Shifa, terrorizing the thousands of civilians who had sheltered there, alongside patients and medical staff. Israeli soldiers raided the hospital premises, ransacking rooms and destroying equipment, beating medical staff and forcing them to leave their patients and duty stations to be interrogated at gunpoint, and chasing patients staff and displaced civilians out of the hospital, expelling them outside to the dangers of Israeli snipers, bombs, and drones firing nonstop at them. We remind that health workers, humanitarians, patients and civilians who may be sheltering at hospitals are protected persons under international law. Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Israeli soldiers are now harassing, seizing and detaining Palestinian civilians fleeing south. There are reports of Israeli soldiers beating and stripping civilians and perpetrating other acts of violence and dehumanization against them. Mansour asked that the letter be distributed to all security council nations before this afternoon’s vote. Jess Phillips has become the most high-profile UK Labour MP to quit the frontbench over party leader Keir Starmer’s stance on Gaza. Starmer has seen a big rebellion of eight shadow ministers from a total of 56 Labour MPs, who voted with the SNP on an amendment to the king’s speech which called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Three Labour frontbenchers resigned in the minutes before the vote, after Starmer made clear that those voting for the ceasefire amendment would be sacked. Israel faced an unprecedented wave of international condemnation after its troops entered the Shifa hospital complex in Gaza, while the UN and aid agencies expressed concern about the impact of the raid on staff and patients. The scale and virulence of the global condemnation from Arab and western governments raised questions about how much longer Israel can continue with its offensive in the face of waning international support. The US also distanced itself from the military takeover of the hospital, saying it had not authorised the Israeli decision to raid the hospital. The UN spoke of carnage in Gaza and as the pressure rose during the day, Israel relented by announcing it would allow an unlimited number of aid convoys through the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border. Aid convoys have been limited to as little as 30 trucks a day when the UN said it needed hundreds to relieve starvation. The sense of crisis engendered by the hospital takeover also led to a breakthrough at the UN in New York, with the US lifting its threat to veto a new resolution prepared by Malta calling for extensive and urgent humanitarian pauses and corridors for a sufficient number of days to allow humanitarian aid to get to civilians in Gaza. Up against what one Palestinian diplomat described as one million citizen journalists in Gaza, Israel is under pressure internationally to produce convincing evidence that the basement of the hospital was being used as a Hamas headquarters, as it has claimed. Here’s more on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announcement that it found “weapons and technological equipment” belonging to Hamas during Wednesday’s raid on the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Chief Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said troops found weapons, combat gear and technological equipment at Shifa, and were continuing their search of the complex. The military also released a video that they said showed some of the material recovered from an undisclosed building in the hospital, including automatic weapons, grenades, ammunition and flak jackets. The Times of Israel reported the IDF saying: During searches inside one of the hospital’s wards, the troops located a room containing unique technological means, combat equipment, and military equipment used by the Hamas terrorist organization. Hamas has denied the claim, which it said was “nothing but a continuation of the lies and cheap propaganda, through which [Israel] is trying to give justification for its crime aimed at destroying the health sector in Gaza”. As we reported earlier, there will be a vote in the UK parliament today that will include the opportunity for MPs to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Three Labour frontbenchers have publicly defied the party leadership and called for a ceasefire in Gaza, hours before Keir Starmer faces one of his biggest rebellions as leader over the issue. Naz Shah (Bradford West), Afzal Khan (Manchester Gorton) and Helen Hayes (Dulwich and West Norwood) told fellow MPs in the Commons of their intention to vote for an immediate ceasefire, knowing that doing so would result in the loss of their shadow ministerial roles. The MPs, who the Guardian understands had spoken to each other before making their statements on Wednesday afternoon, are expected to be among several frontbenchers to back a Scottish National party amendment to the king’s speech, in a show of defiance against the Labour leadership’s refusal to call for an outright ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Sources have told the Guardian that as many as a dozen Labour frontbenchers are prepared to vote in support of the SNP amendment. US security spokesman says US didn"t sign off on al-Shifa hospital raid The US did not sign off on Israel’s raid on al-Shifa hospital on Wednesday, the White House has said. The US national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, answering questions from reporters in San Francisco today, said: We did not give an OK to their military operations around the hospital. We don’t expect the Israelis to inform us. On Tuesday, Kirby said the US has its own intelligence that supported Israel’s conclusions that Hamas used al-Shifa as a command centre and used tunnels beneath the complex to conceal military operations and possibly hold some of the more than 240 hostages seized during last month’s attack into Israel. He suggested the timing of his announcement was a coincidence, adding that his delivery of some “downgraded” intelligence information “had nothing to do with operational timing”. Summary of the day so far ... It’s 9pm in Gaza City and Tel Aviv. Here’s what we’ve been following today in the Israel-Hamas conflict: Military equipment including grenades, automatic weapons, ammunition and communications technology was reportedly found during a raid by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Wednesday on the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The IDF said it conducted a “precise and targeted operation” against Hamas in “a specified area” of the medical complex, and that the findings confirmed Hamas had operated a command operations center beneath the hospital. Hamas denied the claim, which it said in a statement was “nothing but a continuation of the lies and cheap propaganda, through which [Israel] is trying to give justification for its crime aimed at destroying the health sector in Gaza”. Muhammad Abu Salmiya, director of the al-Shifa hospital, said that water, electricity and medical oxygen supplies were completely cut off within the facility, and that he was unable to communicate with doctors. “We cannot reach the pharmacy to treat patients as the occupation shoots everyone who moves. The smell of death wafts everywhere,” he told Al Jazeera. The US navy warship Thomas Hudner shot down a drone that emanated from Yemen in the Red Sea early on Wednesday. It was only the second time the US had brought down projectiles near its warships since the Israel-Hamas conflict began last month. Israel’s former deputy prime minister Gideon Sa’ar told the UK publication Jewish News that his country will agree to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza to facilitate the release of hostages held by Hamas. “It will be achieved. We will see a temporary ceasefire,” he said. His words contradict those of Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has frequently and vociferously ruled out a ceasefire. The United Nations security council will vote Wednesday on a draft resolution proposed by Malta calling for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to enable aid access”. Some diplomats told Reuters they expected the 15-member council to adopt the resolution, though some countries were likely to abstain. A senior official with Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry called for the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to secure a safe corridor for patients, medical staff and displaced families trapped in the facility to leave. The UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said “Hamas must not, should not, use a place like a hospital as a shield for their presence”, but said the agencies’ chief concern was “protecting the people of Gaza from what’s being visited upon them”. Gaza’s two main telecommunications companies warned of a “complete telecom blackout in the coming hours” in the Gaza Strip. “Main data centres and switches are gradually shutting down due to fuel depletion,” the companies said in a joint statement. The UN children’s agency says its top official visited children and their families in the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, in the south of the territory. “What I saw and heard was devastating. They have endured repeated bombardment, loss and displacement,” Unicef’s executive director, Catherine Russell, said in a statement. “Inside the strip, there is nowhere safe for Gaza’s one million children to turn.” Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNWRA, has said: “Our entire operation is now on the verge of collapse,” and that “by the end of today, around 70% of the population in Gaza won’t have access to clean water”. Thomas White, the director of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), has said that water pumps and sewage treatment in the south of the Gaza Strip have stopped due to lack of fuel. Egypt’s state-run al-Qahera television station reported on Wednesday that the first fuel truck to enter the Gaza Strip since the war started on 7 October had crossed the Egyptian gate of the Rafah crossing. It is reported to be carrying 24,000 litres. “This is not enough for anything – not for hospitals, not even for aid deliveries,” an international source familiar with the operation told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. Qatari mediators were on Wednesday seeking to negotiate a deal between Hamas and Israel that includes the release of about 50 civilian hostages from Gaza in exchange for a three-day ceasefire, an official briefed on the negotiations told Reuters. The deal would also involve Israel releasing some Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails and increase the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza. Hamas has to date released four of the estimated 240 hostages seized from inside Israel’s borders on 7 October. The family and friends of some of the 240 hostages believed to have been seized by Hamas on 7 October from inside Israel have begun the second day of their protest march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The trip is expected to last five days and will finish at Netanyahu’s office. The families have been critical of Netanyahu’s government for not doing enough to secure the release of the hostages. Israel’s military has said that it is again firing across the UN-drawn blue line that marks the boundary between Israel and Lebanon after “a number of launches toward Israeli territory”. It claims to have struck “a Hezbollah observation post in Lebanon”. Earlier, the Israeli minister Benny Gantz threatened anti-Israeli forces in Lebanon, saying: “What we are doing effectively in the south, can work even better in the north.” The IDF has also claimed that during its operations in Gaza it has “secured an outpost of the Hamas terrorist organisation” in the north of the territory. Israel’s Knesset has passed a law granting honorary citizenship to people killed by Hamas on 7 October who were not Israeli citizens at the time of their deaths. Protesters have been removed from the House of Commons public gallery in the UK parliament in London after holding up “ceasefire now” signs. IDF: Weapons and military equipment found at al-Shifa hospital The Jerusalem Post is reporting that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) found “weapons and technological equipment” belonging to Hamas during Wednesday’s raid on the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. The newspaper published a photograph credited to the IDF showing grenades, ammunition, communications equipment and other items purportedly at the hospital. Israeli military spokesperson R Adm Daniel Hagari said the IDF was continuing to search the complex, and had also recovered automatic weapons and flak jackets. Israel claims Hamas has been operating a command center from beneath the hospital, and promised earlier Wednesday to produce evidence of what it found during what it described as a “precise and targeted operation”. Further details are expected shortly.