UN warns Gaza at “breaking point” as US vetoes ceasefire | BBC News
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- 8 Dec 2023
An attempt at the United Nations to agree a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza has failed after the US opposed the proposal. The UN ...
An attempt at the United Nations to agree a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza has failed tonight as the US opposed the proposal. The UK abstained from the vote. This was a scene in New York earlier. Despite 13 nations voting for a ceasefire, the US veto means the resolution failed to pass. Earlier, the UN Secretary General warned that the people of Gaza are at breaking point. Israel says any ceasefire would cement Hamas's control of Gaza. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by many countries, including the UK. Meanwhile, more video has emerged showing dozens of Palestinian men detained by Israel. The footage verified by the BBC shows them stripped to their underwear, kneeling on the ground, and being guarded by Israeli soldiers. It's understood that some of the men have since been released. We'll speak to our correspondent at the UN shortly, but first, here's our international editor, Jeremy Bowen.
Gaza is at breaking point, says the UN. Almost two million people have been driven from their homes by Israeli forces. In Dear Al-Bala, the mosque was bombed with such force that the Yaffa hospital next door was put out of action. The US warned Israel again that it was killing too many civilians. Targeted or indiscriminate attacks on civilians are a war crime. Israel said it launched 450 strikes in the last 24 hours.
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Sent out these pictures of its men assaulting Hamas inside a school near Gaza City. Another video released by Hamas shows a dead hostage and what it said was the bloody aftermath of a failed Israeli raid to free him. At the UN in New York, the Secretary General requested an immediate ceasefire, telling the Security Council that her mass violations of the laws of war did not excuse Israelis.
There is a high risk of the total collapse of the humanitarian support system in Gaza, which would have devastating consequences. We anticipate that it would result in a complete breakdown of public order and increased pressure for mass displacement into Egypt. I fear the consequences could be devastating for the security of the entire region.
But the US rejected his warnings and vetoed the cease-fire resolution. It is giving Israel more time to destroy Hamas.
Our goal should not simply be to stop the war for today. It should be to end the war forever, break the cycle of unceasing violence, and build something stronger in Gaza and across the Middle East so that history does not keep repeating itself.
Back in Gaza, Israeli troops posted more video on social media of their roundup of hundreds of Palestinian men, allegedly Hamas suspects. The men were ordered to leave their families at a UN shelter, stripped to their underwear, and had their hands tied before being driven away for interrogation. Israel still hasn't beaten Hamas in Northern Gaza. Fighting continues in an urban wasteland. The BBC traced the video to Israeli soldiers who deleted it after it went viral. The way hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are being forced to live was filmed by a freelance journalist working for the BBC. Atta Abu Kharar is sheltering in a tent made of plastic sheets in the grounds of a hospital in Deer-Al-Bala, in the middle area of Gaza. Gaza's people are at serious risk of starvation and famine, according to the Secretary General. He said the UN could no longer help them under current conditions. Atta, Abu Khadr, said he's trying to get his kids to forget the good food they used to like.
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Don't know what to tell you. The only thing we have to eat is tea with no sugar. The only three words we hear from our children are hungry, cold, thirsty, and we would rather die than see them get sick.
The Israelis destroyed the historic O'Mory Mosque in Gaza City. They are ignoring US warnings that so much destruction and death could push Palestinians into the arms of Hamas, and the US cannot block a cease-fire indefinitely. Jeremy Bowen, BBC News, Jerusalem.
Well, let's get the latest from New York, where that vote by the UN Security Council has taken place in the last couple of hours. Our correspondent, Neda Torfic, is there for us. Neda, this was a rare bid by the Secretary General to get a cease-fire resolutionor to get a cease-fire resolution, what's been the reaction to the US veto?
That's absolutely right, Rita. A rare push there for the Secretary General to get the Security Council to demand an immediate cease-fire by invoking Article 99 of the UN charter, a power granted to Secretary generals, but rarely used. It hasn't been used in decades. But nevertheless, what we saw here at the UN was a quick reaction to the Secretary General's call, with 97 nations sponsoring a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire. But the United States cutting a lonely figure and showing its growing isolation by being the sole member of the council to veto and block that resolution from being passed. Now, the United States has accepted Israel's argument that a ceasefire would only help Hamas, but much of the world disagrees. In fact, 13 of the 15 members voted in favor of this resolution. The UK abstained, and they very much, these members who voted in favor of this resolution, echoed the Secretary General's words that this was a breaking point for Gaza, and they must uphold their responsibility to help the Palestinian civilians. Yes, it is.
Nada, thank you. Nada toxic reporting there.