US Urges Security Council to Back Gaza Ceasefire Plan

Washington, The United States announced a draft Security Council resolution supporting Gaza ceasefire plan outlined by US President Joe Biden on May 13. "Today, the United States circulated a new US draft Security Council Resolution supporting the proposal now on the table to end the fighting in Gaza through a ceasefire and hostage deal. Numerous leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan. We call on the Security Council to join them in calling for implementation of this deal without delay and without further conditions," US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement. The US Ambassador urged members of the UN Security Council to adopt the draft resolution. "Council Members should not let this opportunity to pass by. We must speak with one voice in support of this deal," she stressed. "Swift implementation of this deal would enable an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in its fir st phase, an immediate surge in humanitarian assistance and restoration of basic services, the return of Palestinian civilians to northern Gaza, together with a roadmap for ending the crisis altogether and a multi-year internationally backed reconstruction plan," she explained. Biden on Friday laid out what he described as a three-phase Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza in return for the release of Israeli hostages, saying "it's time for this war to end". The US proposal comes a week after Algeria proposed a draft resolution to the Security Council calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and ordering Israel to immediately cease its military offensive in Rafah. Source: Qatar News Agency