Israel rejects UN resolution calling for 'extended humanitarian pauses and corridors' in Gaza

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected a resolution on Wednesday that was passed by the UN Security Council which called for "extended humanitarian pauses and corridors" in Gaza.

In a statement cited by the Haaretz newspaper, the ministry said "there is no place for extended humanitarian pauses" as long as hostages are being held by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Israel’s envoy to the UN, Gilad Erdan, also described the resolution as "detached from reality," as it does not condemn Hamas over its attack launched against Israel on Oct. 7.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a draft resolution calling for "urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors" throughout Gaza.

Twelve countries voted in favor of the resolution spearheaded by Malta, while the US, the UK and Russia abstained from voting.

The resolution also calls for the release of all hostages being held by Hamas and other groups, especially children.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The government media office in Gaza on Wednesday announced that the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 has risen to 11,500, including 4,710 children and 3,160 women.

“The number of deaths among medical personnel has reached 200,” the office said in a statement on Telegram.

It further said that 22 civil defense personnel and 51 journalists have also been killed, while the number of injured people has reached 29,800, with about 70% of them women and children.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.