NFollowing Israel’s announcement that it would expand its ground operations overnight, the Gaza Strip was rocked by fighting on Saturday morning. “Our troops are operating inside the Gaza Strip, just as they did yesterday,” Israeli military spokesman Nir Dinar said Friday evening. The radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, for its part, reported “violent clashes”. In view of the communication blackout in the Gaza Strip, human rights organizations warned that atrocities could go undetected. The General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution to improve the humanitarian situation and for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. There The situation was made even worse by the collapse of the communications network.
Germany abstains from UN resolution
The UN resolution adopted in New York on Friday achieved the necessary two-thirds majority in the General Assembly. 120 countries voted in favor, 14 against – Germany was one of the 45 that abstained. UN General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding; they are seen as having more of a symbolic signaling effect – and in this case the vote also provides information about the mood of the global community in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The more powerful UN Security Council, whose decisions are binding, had previously failed several times to pass a resolution focusing on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
The resolution that has now been adopted condemns, among other things, all violence against the Israeli and Palestinian civilian population, calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all “illegally detained” civilians and demands unhindered access for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. It also calls for an “immediate permanent and sustainable humanitarian ceasefire” that should lead to a “cessation of hostilities”.
Israel reacts with outrage, Hamas welcomes UN decision
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock justified Germany’s abstention by saying that the paper was not balanced enough. “Because the resolution does not clearly name Hamas terror, does not demand the release of all hostages clearly enough and does not affirm Israel’s right to self-defense, we and many of our European partners decided not to agree to the resolution in the end,” she said after the Vote with.
As expected, the conflicting parties themselves reacted very differently to the vote in New York. “We firmly reject the UN General Assembly’s despicable call for a ceasefire,” said Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. “Israel intends to eliminate Hamas.” This is also how the world dealt with the Nazis and the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS). Israel’s UN ambassador Gilad Erdan spoke of a “dark day for the UN and for humanity” that will go down in history with shame. Hamas, however, welcomed the adoption of the resolution and called on the UN to take immediate measures to implement it.
Hamas speaks of Israeli ground operations
The Islamist organization’s military wing claimed there were ground operations by the Israeli army and violent clashes in Beit Hanun in the north of the Gaza Strip and east of the Al-Bureij refugee camp. Both places are close to the border. The information provided by the Al-Qassam Brigades from late Friday evening could not be independently verified. Israel’s army had previously announced that it would expand its ground operations in the densely populated coastal area.
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