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International Criminal Court chief prosecutor says he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders.

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The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demands an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the release of all captives as the United States abstains from the vote.

The remaining 14 council members voted in favour of the resolution, which was proposed by the 10 elected members of the council. There was a round of applause in the council chamber after the vote on Monday.

The resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends in two weeks, and also demands that Hamas free captives seized on October 7 when it led attacks on Israel.

“The bloodbath has continued for far too long,” said Amar Bendjama, the ambassador from Algeria, the Arab bloc’s current Security Council member and a sponsor of the resolution. “Finally, the Security Council is shouldering its responsibility.”

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In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on UNSC member states to fulfill their legal responsibilities to implement the resolution immediately.

The ministry also stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire that extends beyond Ramadan, secure the entry of aid, work on the release Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, and prevent forced displacement.

Hamas welcomed the resolution and said in a statement it “affirms readiness to engage in immediate prisoner swaps on both sides”.

France called for more work on securing a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

“This crisis is not over. Our council will have to remain mobilised and immediately get back to work. After Ramadan, which ends in two weeks, it will have to establish a permanent ceasefire,” said France’s UN representative, Nicolas de Riviere.

The latest vote comes after Russia and China vetoed a US-sponsored resolution on Friday that would have supported “an immediate and sustained ceasefire”.

The Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN Vasily Alekseyevich Nebenzya, said his country hopes Monday’s resolution will be used in the “interests of peace” rather than advancing the “inhumane Israeli operation against Palestinians”.

“It is of fundamental importance that the UN Security Council, for the first time, is demanding the parties observe an immediate ceasefire, even if it is limited to the month of Ramadan,” he said. “Unfortunately, what happens after that ends remains unclear.”

Russia tried to push for the use of the word “permanent”. It had complained that dropping the word could allow Israel “to resume its military operation in the Gaza Strip at any moment” after Ramadan, which ends April 9.

“We are disappointed that it did not make it through,” Nebenzya said.

25 March 2024