Security Council to vote on Saturday on Gaza ceasefire
The Security Council will vote on Saturday on a new draft resolution that seeks an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, diplomats said, but the United States has indicated it may veto it. The vote will come a day after the United States put forward a text on the need for a ceasefire that was vetoed by Russia and China and opposed by Arab states, which said it was not explicit enough in pressuring Israel. The vote on the resolution, led in part by Algeria, the Arab nation currently on the 15-member Security Council, is expected at 10 am (1400 GMT), three diplomats said. The draft resolution "demands an immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan that leads "to a permanent sustainable ceasefire" respected by all sides. It also demands both the "immediate and unconditional" release of hostages seized in the October 7 attack by Hamas and humanitarian access in the battered Gaza Strip. Three European nations – Malta, Slovenia and Switzerland – are co-sponsoring the resolution, along with Mozambique, Guyana and Sierra Leone. (AFP)