Algeria proposes UN resolution demanding end to Rafah op, ceasefire, hostage release

Algeria on Tuesday proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution that demands a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and essentially orders Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive” in Rafah.

Algeria’s UN Ambassador Amar Bendjama said earlier Tuesday — after a closed-door meeting of the 15-member UN security body on Gaza — that the aim of the move was to “stop the killing in Rafah.”

The Algerian draft text, seen by Reuters, “decides that Israel, the occupying Power, shall immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in Rafah.”

It also cites a ruling by the International Court of Justice last week that ordered Israel to immediately halt its military assault on Rafah that would risk the destruction of the civilian population sheltering there, in a ruling in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide.

“It will be a short text, a decisive text, to stop the killing in Rafah,” Bendjama told reporters.

The Algerian ambassador didn’t say when he hopes the resolution might be put to a vote, but diplomats said the council could vote within days. READ MORE