UN Security Council passes Gaza ceasefire resolution

The UN Security Council passed a resolution, demanding an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas during the month of Ramadan. The United States abstained from the vote, which put a significant obstacle in the way of ongoing efforts to prevent conflict between the two parties and release hostages held by Palestinian militants. This decision led to various reactions, including the cancellation of a planned senior delegation visit from Israel to Washington and the recalling of the Israeli negotiating team from Qatar. The resolution is binding and theoretically obliges both Israel and Hamas to abide by it. However, Israel has rejected the latest ceasefire deal offer, stating that it does not meet its core demands for a comprehensive ceasefire. There have been ongoing accusations of human rights violations in Gaza, with some UN experts suggesting that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Israel is committing genocide in the region. The US decision not to veto the resolution was seen as a significant shift in diplomatic relations between the two countries and a potential sign of growing frustration from the Biden administration towards Israeli leadership.