US seeks UN backing for proposed Gaza cease-fire deal

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US mission to the UN said Monday that it wants the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution backing a proposed cease-fire deal for Gaza.

"Today, the United States circulated a new U.S. draft Security Council Resolution supporting the proposal now on the table to end the fighting in Gaza through a cease-fire and hostage deal,” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement.

"Numerous leaders and governments, including in the region, have endorsed this plan, and we call on the Security Council to join them in calling for the implementation of this deal without delay and without further conditions," she said.

Implementation of the deal would enable an immediate cease-fire, the release of hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in its first 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, Thomas-Greenfield added.

Stressing that the deal would lead to an end of the war, the ambassador said: "The Security Council must insist that Hamas accept the deal...Council members should not let this opportunity pass by. We must speak with one voice in support of this deal."