The United States has drafted a fresh resolution to put to the UN Security Council that expresses concern about any Israeli ground offensive in Rafah in southern Gaza and says that an initial truce, if and when agreed, should “lay the foundation for a sustainable ceasefire.”
The draft resolution, obtained by CNN, notes “intensified diplomatic efforts by Egypt and Qatar, aimed at releasing the hostages, increasing the provision and distribution of humanitarian aid, and alleviating the suffering of civilians in Gaza through an agreement for the release of hostages and an immediate ceasefire of roughly six weeks.”
It proposes that the Security Council “unequivocally supports international diplomatic efforts to establish an immediate and sustained ceasefire as part of a deal that releases the hostages, and that allows the basis for a more durable peace to alleviate humanitarian suffering.”
Elsewhere in the draft resolution, the United States proposes that the Security Council emphasize “its concern that a ground offensive into Rafah would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement including potentially into neighboring countries, and would have serious implications for regional peace and security.”
Key context: The draft is subject to further changes and amendments and is not yet scheduled for a vote.
As proposed, the draft suggests that the US is underlining its insistence that a temporary halt in hostilities be linked to efforts to reach a long-term ceasefire.
