Leaders of US, Britain, EU and Arab states should unite in backing UN calls for a humanitarian ceasefire
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on 21 October.Palestinians search for casualties at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on 21 October.stark warning
issued last week by António Guterres, the UN secretary general, as he assessed the violent ramifications of the Hamas terrorist attack that killed more than 1,400 Israelis two weeks ago. Like numerous diplomats and politicians in the Arab world, Europe and the US, Guterres is working frantically to prevent the fire lit on 7 October from spreading beyond the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza, where Hamas is based, to the wider region.
A silent tug of war appears to be under way between European governments and the Biden administration on the one hand, and Israel on the other, over the timing and possibly scope of this offensive. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet, vowing to “”, have assembled a huge military force around Gaza’s periphery. Defence minister Yoav Gallant told impatient troops they would soon be able to view Gaza “Israel’s allies fully accept it has the right to take action.
Guterres is demanding what he terms a “humanitarian ceasefire” – a proposal that embraces key aspects of the conflict. Such a ceasefire, he says, would provide sufficient time to secure the unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza while allowing unrestricted access for aid supplies. Such a ceasefire might also further delay Israel’s ground invasion. For all three reasons – hostages, aid, de-escalation – such a ceasefire is vitally necessary.
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