UN Security Council Approves Resolution Backing US-Proposed Gaza Ceasefire Amid Massive Destruction of Civil Life

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Monday in support of a cease-fire proposal for the Gaza Strip announced by US President Joe Biden, Anadolu Agency reported yesterday.

The resolution, drafted by the US, was approved with 14 votes in favor and Russia abstaining.

The proposal is a three-phase plan presented in late May. The first phase calls for an “immediate, full, and complete ceasefire,” the release of hostages, withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the distribution of humanitarian aid. The second phase involves the permanent cessation of hostilities and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The third phase proposes a long-term reconstruction plan for the territory.

The resolution states that Israel has accepted Biden’s proposal and calls on Hamas to do the same.

This comes as the UNRWA report released on Monday said that more than half of the buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed by Israeli attacks since Oct. 7.

Stating the destruction in Gaza is “indescribable,” it added: “Clearing the rubble will take years. Healing from the psychological trauma of this war will take even longer.”

More than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since then, most of them women and children, and much of the territory lies in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.