UN Security Council Approves Resolution for Humanitarian Aid to Gaza

On Friday, December 22, the United Nations Security Council approved a resolution calling for increased humanitarian aid for Gaza. This resolution did not propose an immediate ceasefire. The United States and Russia, both permanent members of the Security Council, abstained from voting. Thirteen other members voted in favor of the resolution. Negotiations to prevent a veto of the resolution by the United States, which was drafted by the United Arab Emirates requesting Israel and Hamas to facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza through land, sea, and air routes, had been ongoing for days. The resolution calls on the parties to facilitate the use of all humanitarian routes, and a senior UN official will be appointed to coordinate and oversee the delivery of aid. Israel claims that since the start of the war, approximately 5,400 aid trucks, including food, water, and medical supplies, have entered Gaza. Aid groups say that only a fraction of what is needed has arrived, and a UN-affiliated body has warned of an increasing risk of famine. Before the resolution was passed, Israeli forces announced their intention to expand ground attacks into central Gaza. Airstrikes across Gaza have been reported as hopes for progress in ongoing negotiations in Egypt aimed at securing agreement between Israel and Hamas for a new ceasefire have faded. On Friday, the Israeli army ordered residents of 'Bridge' in central Gaza to move south immediately. The Israeli army expressed regret over civilian casualties and accused Hamas, backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, of using civilians as human shields, a claim that Hamas has denied. Israel states that since the beginning of its ground attack on Gaza on October 20, it has lost 140 soldiers. Hamas militants killed at least 1,200 people in a terrorist attack on Israel on October 7 and took around 240 hostages, including children, women, and the elderly. Israel began air, sea, and ground attacks on Gaza, calling for the eradication of Hamas. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, Israel, and several other countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. The Hamas-affiliated Shehab news agency reported heavy shelling and airstrikes on Jabalia and refugee camps in northern Gaza, established after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Airstrikes in Khan Younis and Rafah in the south have also been reported. Reports from Palestinian media and videos shared by citizens of Gaza on social media show images of corpses in the streets and people trapped under rubble around the Indonesia hospital in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza. The Israeli army stated that its air force destroyed a long-range rocket launch site in Juhar al-Dik in central Gaza, from which a recent attack on Israeli territory was allegedly launched. On the other hand, a group representing the families of hostages announced on Friday that a dual-national American among the 240 Hamas hostages had died in captivity. The Hostage and Missing Persons Association stated that Gadi Hagai, 73, also held Israeli citizenship. A committee appointed by the Israeli government has classified several hostages as deceased based on evidence and documents, despite their remains not being found in the list of deceased individuals. Hamas has warned that as the twelfth week of the war approaches, 'time for the hostages' is running out. According to official Israeli statistics, after some hostages were returned during a temporary ceasefire in November or found during military action, 129 people remain in captivity. The Israeli government states that among those still in Gaza, 22 have been killed. The Hostage and Missing Persons Association claims that between five to ten of the hostages hold American citizenship.