UN Security Council to vote on cease-fire resolution aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza

The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote Monday afternoon on a U.S. resolution that welcomes a cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden that the United States says Israel has accepted. It calls on Hamas, which has said it viewed the proposal “positively,” to accept the three-phase plan.

The draft resolution urges Israel and Hamas “to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”

If adopted, it would be the first Security Council resolution on a cease-fire plan aimed at ending the eight-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told reporters Monday that the United States wanted to make sure all 15 Security Council members were on board.

The council’s scheduling of the vote Monday afternoon indicated that the resolution will likely be adopted unanimously.

Wood described the draft resolution as «the best, most realistic opportunity to bring at least a temporary halt to this war.”

The conflict was sparked by Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mainly Israeli civilians, and saw some 250 others taken hostage. About 120 hostages remain, with 43 pronounced dead.

Israel’s massive military offensive has killed over 36,700 Palestinians and wounded more than 83,000 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It has also destroyed about 80% of Gaza’s buildings, according to the U.N.

The Security Council adopted a resolution on March 25 demanding a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan which ended April 9, with the U.S. abstaining. But there was no halt to the war.

The current draft resolution underscores “the importance of the ongoing diplomatic efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United