An agreement on a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages is in sight, said the American envoy to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, at the session of the Security Council of the world organization.
She asked the body's members to put pressure on the Palestinian militant group Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the United States, to accept an end to the conflict.
"The moment for the ceasefire negotiations is also decisive for the region, so every member of this body should continue sending strong messages to other actors to avoid moves that would take us away from the finalization of the agreement," said Greenfield.
She noted that the proposal announced last week by the United States, Qatar and Egypt is aligned with the plan presented by US President Joe Biden in May and approved by the Security Council in June.
"There is a very real danger of regional escalation. We need to do everything in our power to ensure that the ceasefire and hostage release agreement is implemented," Greenfield said.
Disagreements over Israel's future military presence in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners are hampering the deal, anonymous sources told Reuters, stemming from demands Israel has made since Hamas accepted Biden's proposal.
The conflict in Gaza has shaken parts of the Middle East where Israeli forces and members of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah clash in border areas.
Also, Iran announced retaliation for the July 31 killing of extremist Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which it blamed on Israel. That country neither confirmed nor denied that it was behind the murder.
The conflict in the Gaza Strip began when, in early October 2023, armed extremists of Hamas killed about 1.200 Israelis and kidnapped about 250 hostages, according to Israeli data.
The Israeli army then began its attacks in Gaza, in which a large part of the housing and other infrastructure of the enclave was demolished.
According to the Palestinian Health Authority, which is controlled by Hamas, at least 40.000 people have been killed so far.
International humanitarian organizations warn that diseases and hunger are spreading in Gaza, and that 2,3 million people have been driven from their homes.
(Voice of America)
Israeli forces have pushed deeper into the central Gaza Strip fighting Hamas militants, and Palestinian officials said today that at least 22 people were killed across the enclave.
Before the new escalation of violence, US President Joseph Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and assessed that reaching an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages is urgent, the White House announced.
The months-long talks on a truce, interrupted several times, revolve around the same issues, but Palestinian Hamas and Israel firmly stick to their demands, the British Guardian notes.
In the northern Gaza city of Beit Lahia, an attack on a house killed 11 people, and another killed six, including a local journalist in the Al-Magazi refugee camp in the central part of the Gaza Strip, doctors said. Five more were killed in separate strikes in the south.
(BETA)
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has entered its 321th day.
See what happened yesterday:
Bonus video:
