Antony Blinken arrived in Israel yesterday. Pool photo by Jack Guez
The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution, brought by the U.S., to call for an immediate truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The move was a sign of the growing frustration with the war among the world’s major powers and their desire to end it.
Fourteen of the 15 council members voted in favor, with Russia — which has veto power — abstaining. In passing the resolution, the council delivered a diplomatic victory to the U.S., which had vetoed three previous cease-fire resolutions.
The Council’s proposal was based on a three-phase cease-fire plan laid out by President Biden in May. More than two weeks have passed since Israel presented the deal to Hamas through intermediaries, but Israel’s government has not formally embraced it.
On Monday, Hamas said that it welcomed elements of the resolution but did not endorse the plan as a whole. “Hamas emphasizes its readiness to cooperate with the mediators to engage in indirect negotiations,” the group said in a statement. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the region to press for a cease-fire, met yesterday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.
Israel’s hostage mission: The Israeli military said that two teams of commandos had simultaneously stormed two homes to rescue four hostages being held by Hamas militants. Later, the truck that three hostages and a wounded Israeli officer were using to evacuate broke down and was surrounded by militants.
The air force began striking dozens of targets nearby to give the hostages time to escape, the military said. Gazans described an intense bombardment during the raid that led to the deaths of scores of Palestinians. “The whole hospital became one giant emergency room,” a doctor in Gaza said.
