Israel-Hamas war: US vetoes UN call for Gaza cease-fire

Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen thanked the US for its vote against a resolution calling for a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. 

"With gratitude to our ally, the US, for its support to continue the fight to bring the hostages home and to eliminate the Hamas terrorist organization, which will bring a better future to the region," Cohen wrote on Twitter.

"A cease-fire at this time would prevent the collapse of the Hamas terrorist organization, which is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, and would enable it to continue ruling the Gaza Strip."

Meanwhile, senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq said in a statement the group, designated a terrorist organization by the US and others, strongly condemned the US veto.

"The US obstruction of the issuance of a cease-fire resolution is a direct participation with [Israel] in killing our people and committing more massacres and ethnic cleansing," he said.

Cohen again criticized UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his decision to invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter and formally warn the Security Council of a global threat from the war. That decision led to Friday's session and vote.

"Guterres' appeal to stand on the side of Hamas and request a cease-fire disgraces his position," Cohen said. "The invocation of Article 99, after it was not used for the war in Ukraine or for the civil war in Syria, is another example of Guterres' biased and one-sided stance."

The three permanent members of the Council who are also in NATO all voted differently, with the United States voting against, France for and the United Kingdom abstaining. 

The UK's Representative to the UN Barbara Woodward said that "calling for a cease-fire ignores the fact that Hamas has committed acts of terror and is still holding civilians hostage.

"Israel needs to able to address the threat posed by Hamas, and it needs to do so in a manner that abides by international humanitarian law so that such an attack can never be carried out again."

The French representative said France voted in favor of a cease-fire because "we do not see any contradiction in the fight against terrorism and the protection of civilians in strict respect for international humanitarian law."

He added: "Unfortunately, once again, this council has failed with a lack of unity and by refusing to genuinely commit to negotiations. In doing this, the crisis in Gaza is getting worse and it runs the risk of extending."

China's envoy said "We express great disappointment" amid what he called "unprecedented death and destruction" in Gaza and voting in favor of a cease-fire.

The representative for the United Arab Emirates said the UAE is "deeply disappointed" that the council was unable to call for a humanitarian cease-fire.

"What is the message we are sending Palestinians if we cannot unite behind a call to halt the relentless bombardment of Gaza?" deputy UN Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab asked, calling on the council to unite to end the war.

Russia , 22 months into its illegal invasion of Ukraine, said that two members of the Security Council "preferred to remain complicit to the merciless Israeli bloodbath," referring to the United States and the UK.

Japan said it backed the resolution because of the "extremely tragic" loss of civilian life in the war. "Japan regrets that this resolution has failed," Permanent Representative to the UN Kimihiro Ishikane said. 

Brazil also expressed its regret, saying "sooner or later council members must shoulder their responsibility and do what is right." Brazilian envoy Sergio Franca Danese said "inaction" could harm the prospects for a two-state solution. 

A UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza failed after the United States, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Council, voted against the measure. 

"The US engaged in good faith on this text," US Deputy Envoy to the UN Robert Wood said, adding that the resolution was "divorced from reality" and would not change the situation on the ground in Gaza. Wood said the text did not include language condemning Hamas' terror attacks on Israel on October 7.   

He said an immediate cease-fire now would keep Hamas in place and allow it to carry out more terror attacks. 

 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday that two of its soldiers were "severely injured" after they attempted to rescue hostages in Gaza.

"Two IDF soldiers were severely injured during an operation to rescue hostages held by Hamas," the Israeli army said.

"During the operations, numerous terrorists who took part in the abducting and holding of hostages were killed," the statement continued. "No hostages were rescued in this activity."  

Hamas, designated as a terror organization by the US, Germany, EU and others, said in a statement that it "succeeded in foiling an Israeli attempt to free an Israeli captive."

Hamas also claimed without evidence that the hostage was killed amid gunfire with Israeli forces. Israel has not commented on this claim.  

According to Israel, 138 hostages are still being held by Hamas. A seven-day truce earlier in the war enabled the release of 105 hostages, with 80 Israeli nationals among them.  

Israel's current operation targeting Hamas in Gaza comes after Hamas killed some 1,200 in Israel during terror attacks on October 7.

The US told the UN Security Council that it was against calling for an immediate cease-fire as Israel's military operation continued against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"While the United States supports the durable peace, in which both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security, we do not support calls for an immediate cease-fire," Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood said during the Security Council meeting ahead of a vote on a cease-fire resolution.

"This would only plant the seed for the next war because Hamas has no desire to see a durable peace to see a two-state solution," Wood continued.  

The United States, as one of five veto-wielding, permanent members of the 15-nation UN Security Council, could block the cease-fire resolution from being adopted.    

Arab countries, meanwhile, were vocally in support of a cease-fire.

"Today this Council will vote, it will have an opportunity to respond to the deafening calls across the world to bring this violence to an end," UAE Deputy Ambassador to the UN Mohamed Abushahab said.

During a visit to Washington, a group of delegates from Arab and Muslim-majority countries also urged an end to hostilities. 

"Our message is we believe it is absolutely necessary to end the fighting immediately," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on behalf of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee. 

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said brutality by Hamas militants did not justify the "collective punishment" of Palestinians.

He also called for the immediate release of the hostages kidnapped from Israel by Hamas, which is considered a terror group by several countries.

"Some 130 hostages are still held captive. I call for their immediate and unconditional release, as well as their humane treatment and visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross until they are freed," Guterres said at an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Friday.

"At the same time, the brutality perpetrated by Hamas can never justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people."

He said nowhere in the Gaza Strip was safe and that civilians were running out of food.

The comments by the UN chief come hours before the Security Council is expected to vote on a humanitarian cease-fire.

The European Union put two Hamas commanders on its terrorist list on Friday in response to "the threat posed by Hamas and its brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023."

The two individuals are the head of Hamas' military wing, Mohammed Deif, and his deputy, Marwan Issa.

The European Council said the two men "are subject to the freezing of their funds and other financial assets in EU member states."

"It is also prohibited for EU operators to make funds and economic resources available to them," it added.

The EU, like the US, Israel and other nations, has designated Hamas a terrorist organization. 

Israel said on Friday it had found weapons and a tunnel at Al-Azhar University in Gaza.

It said the tunnel stretched 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the university to a nearby school, and claimed that Hamas uses the university campus to carry out attacks.

Israel has repeatedly claimed Hamas militants are embedded in civilian zones and using civilians as human shields. Hamas denies this.

Hamas, which is considered a terror group by the US, the EU, Germany and other nations, maintains a network of tunnels underneath the territory.

Israeli officials have provided an explanation for images shared widely online showing Israeli soldiers detaining a group of Palestinian men in the northern Gaza suburb of Beit Lahia.

The images were first broadcast on Israeli television on Thursday and show more than 20 men kneeling with their hands bound behind their backs, blindfolded and stripped down to their underwear while guarded by Israeli soldiers.

It was the first time images of such detentions had emerged during the current Israel-Hamas war.

"We are investigating to see who is linked to Hamas and who is not," Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said at a press conference on Friday.

Meanwhile, Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said the detained men had been apprehended in what he called Hamas strongholds.

"We are talking about individuals who are apprehended in Jabalia and Shejaiya [in Gaza City], Hamas strongholds and centers of gravity," Levy told a regular briefing in response to a question about the images. "We are talking about military-age men who were discovered in areas that civilians were supposed to have evacuated weeks ago."

A senior Hamas official who lives in exile, Izzat El-Reshiq, condemned the incident on Friday as a "heinous crime against innocent civilians."

The member of Hamas, which is recognized as a terror group by several governments, urged human rights groups to intervene.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was concerned by the images and said all detainees must be treated with humanity and dignity in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Germany's Foreign Office said that "lasting peace will not be possible" as long as Hamas can continue its attacks from the Gaza Strip.

At a regular press conference on Friday, a spokesperson for the Foreign Office said Hamas — which is considered a terrorist organization by Germany as well as the US, the EU and others — is responsible for civilian deaths because it uses them as human shields and therefore poses a threat to Palestinians as well as Israelis.

The spokesperson added that "we advocate for further cease-fires" so that humanitarian aid such as food and fuel can enter Gaza.

"There has been great suffering in Israel, but we of course also recognize the great suffering of the Palestinians," the spokesperson said.

Israel's army says that shelling in October which killed one journalist and wounded several others occurred in an "active combat zone."

On October 13, two strikes in quick succession hit a group of seven journalists from Reuters, Al Jazeera and AFP in southern Lebanon.

Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed instantly. The other six journalists were all wounded, including AFP photographer Christina Assi, who later had her leg amputated in a hospital.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the incident was now under review.

"One incident involved the firing of an anti-tank missile, which struck the border fence near the village Hanita. Following the launch of the anti-tank missile, concerns arose over the potential infiltration of terrorists into Israeli territory," the army said in a statement.

"In response, the IDF used artillery and tank fire to prevent the infiltration ... The area is an active combat zone, where active fire takes place, and being in this area is dangerous. The incident is currently under review."

The announcement of a review comes a day after Reuters and AFP published their own investigations concluding that an Israeli tank was responsible for the strikes that killed the journalist.

The AFP report also said that the strikes were "deliberate and targeted."

In two separate reports, rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that the incident constitutes a possible war crime that must be investigated.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called for a full investigation.

"My understanding is that Israel has initiated such an investigation and it will be important to see that investigation come to a conclusion and to see the results," he said.

The fighting in Gaza is preventing aid groups from helping civilians in need, according to Stephen Ryan, a rapid response coordinator with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), who is based in the blockaded territory.

"The situation in Gaza is indescribable," Ryan told DW in an interview.

He said not only is the aid entering the territory insufficient, but the fighting has also made it unsafe to distribute what little aid there is.

Meanwhile, civilians continue to suffer to an "unacceptable" degree, he said, with hospitals overwhelmed by patients as well as by people using them as places of refuge from the fighting.

"Under the current conditions, we have reached the limit of humanitarian action in an environment like this," Ryan said.

He added: "Our teams are doing the best that they can right now here in Gaza, but it's not going to be enough. We need much, much more access and much more safety to do our work."

At least five Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Friday.

The ministry said the Palestinians had been shot at the Al-Fara refugee camp near the town of Tubas.

French news agency AFP later said that the death toll had been revised to six, citing the Health Ministry.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the Palestinians had been killed in "clashes … with Israeli forces who stormed the camp amid intense fire and the blasts of explosions."

The Israeli military spokesperson's office told the Reuters news agency it was checking the report.

The Palestinian Authority says at least 263 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7 — more than the entire death toll for last year — with both Israeli forces and residents of illegal Israeli settlements being responsible for the deaths.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has questioned the efforts made by Israel to protect civilians in Gaza in comments that represent the strongest criticism of Israel's operations by a top Biden administration official since the war began.

"As we stand here almost a week into this campaign into the south ... it remains imperative that Israel put a premium on civilian protection," Blinken said during a press conference in Washington.

"And there does remain a gap between ... the intent to protect civilians and the actual results that we're seeing on the ground."

More than 17,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.

DW's correspondent in Jerusalem Tania Krämer said that she had spoken to people in Gaza by phone who had told her that they have no place to go as Israel expands its ground operations to the south.

"People are saying if there's no call for a full cease-fire, there is no safety and security for them in Gaza," Krämer said.

The UN estimates that around 1.9 million people, the vast majority of the population in Gaza, has been displaced by the war.

Israel has agreed to open the Kerem Shalom border crossing for the screening and inspection of the humanitarian aid delivered into Gaza via the Rafah crossing, a United States official says.

Washington has been discussing the possibility of opening of the Kerem Shalom border for weeks in order to speed up the inspection process of aid trucks. No time frame was given on when the crossing would open.

The UN aid chief Martin Griffiths had earlier told reporters that, while negotiations had been ongoing, there were promising signs on the reopening.

The checkpoint was responsible for 60% of goods getting into the besieged Palestinian territory before the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on October 7.

In Israel, Colonel Elad Goren, head of the civil department at COGAT, the Israeli agency for civilian coordination with the Palestinians, said the crossing would be opened to allow checks on aid trucks.

"We will open Kerem Shalom just for inspection. It will happen in the next few days," Goren told reporters.

Aid is currently being allowed into Gaza via the Rafah crossing from Egypt but it was designed for pedestrians, not trucks.

"It would be the first miracle we've seen for some weeks, but would also be a huge boost to the logistical process and logistical base of a humanitarian operation," Griffiths said about the possible opening of Kerem Shalom.