The United Nations Security Council has approved a resolution calling for increased humanitarian aid to Gaza. Both the United States and Russia chose to abstain from the vote, while all other council members voted in favour of the resolution.
The resolution, passed after several postponements, stopped short of demanding an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but instead urged to create conditions conducive to a ceasefire.
Some countries pushed for a stronger text that includes a now-eliminated call for an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities.” The approved resolution focuses on “urgent steps to immediately allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access.” It also aims to create conditions for a sustainable end to hostilities.
The resolution aims to address the conditions faced by over 576,000 Palestinians in Gaza, constituting a quarter of the population, who are on the brink of “catastrophic hunger and starvation,” as indicated by a UN-backed report.
Health Ministry in Gaza has reported 390 Palestinians killed and 734 injured over the past two days, coinciding with a suspension of communications.
Gaza’s Government Media Office reports a toll of at least 20,000 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks. The Israeli army acknowledges that 784 of its officers and soldiers have been injured since the commencement of its ground military operation inside Gaza, with 471 soldiers losing their lives.
Israeli forces entered Barta’a, ostensibly to address vehicles they claimed were not legally registered. An incident involving an Israeli female soldier and a civilian further escalated tensions, with conflicting accounts emerging. Video footage challenges the Israeli military’s claim that the incident was an attempted ramming, raising concerns of an overreaction that left two people injured.
Reports from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) detail incidents of Israeli police firing sound bombs and tear gas at Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem. The PRCS has treated at least two people for injuries sustained from beatings by the Israeli police in different areas of Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem, tensions persist at the gates of the Old City, where large police forces have been deployed for the past 11 Fridays. Barriers have been erected to prevent worshippers from praying inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site. Only elderly individuals are permitted to pass through for prayer.