EU's Borrell urges UN Security Council to act for cease-fire in Gaza

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – The EU's top diplomat on Monday hailed US Vice President Kamala Harris' call for a cease-fire in Gaza, saying that now the UN Security Council can pass a resolution for such a step.

"I join US @VP Kamala Harris' call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. There should then be no obstacle for a UN Security Council resolution to that effect," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on X. The US has previously blocked several cease-fire resolutions.

Harris "rightly said" that too many people have been killed in Gaza since last Oct. 7 – over 30,000 so far – he said, urging Israel to allow unimpeded humanitarian access to Palestinians in Gaza

"Time for the UN Security Council to act," added Borrell.

Speaking Sunday in the Southern US state of Alabama, Harris said: "Given the immense scale of suffering in Gaza, there must be an immediate cease-fire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table."

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed 30,534 people and injured nearly 72,000 others, with mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.