Israel has come under increasing pressure to end its war against Hamas in Gaza amid mounting civilian casualties and a seeming humanitarian crisis. While Israel had substantial support on Oct. 7 when Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel and murdered over 1,200 civilians and kidnapped approximately 230 men, women, and children – 134 of whom are still held in Gaza – today that support has declined and many countries are calling on Israel to end its war and agree to a permanent ceasefire.
This demand was made loud and clear on March 25 in the UN Security Council when it passed a resolution by a vote of 14 in favor to none against, with the United States abstaining. This decision was significant as the US usually vetoes resolutions against Israel at the UN.
UN Resolution 2728 called for a ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan. The resolution also called for the immediate release of hostages and for ensuring humanitarian access to Gaza. The Council rejected a Russia-proposed amendment that would have called for a permanent ceasefire. The US ambassador said her delegation “fully supports” the critical objectives of the draft.
Gilad Erdan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Israel, questioned why the Security Council “discriminates” among victims, recalling that it condemned the deadly attack on a concert hall in Moscow on Friday, but failed to condemn the Nova music festival massacre of 7 October.
“Civilians, no matter where they live, deserve to enjoy music in safety and security, and the Security Council should have the moral clarity to condemn such acts of terror equally, without discrimination,” he said.
“Sadly, today as well, this Council refused to condemn the 7 October massacre; this is a disgrace,” he added.
Erdan further noted that for the past 18 years, Hamas initiated ceaseless attacks against Israelis, launching “thousands and thousands of indiscriminate rockets and missiles against civilians.”
He added that while the resolution failed to condemn Hamas, it did “state something that should have been the driving moral force.”
“This resolution denounces the taking of hostages, recalling that it is in violation of international law,” he said, underscoring that taking innocent civilians hostage is a war crime.
“When it comes to bringing the hostages home, the Security Council must not settle for words alone, but take action, real action,” he said.
The action Erdan speaks of includes placing pressure on Qatar and Egypt to in turn pressure Hamas to release the hostages.
But nearly six months later, 134 hostages remain in captivity as Hamas seeks to negotiate its way to end the war and guarantee its survival.
At the same time, approximately two million Palestinians have been made homeless and live day-to-day as they rely on outside assistance for food, water, and shelter.
Israel insists it cannot end the war before it achieves its main goals of destroying Hamas and bringing back the hostages. To do so, it will need to enter the southern Gaza town of Rafah where Hamas leaders and fighters are hiding in tunnels beneath 1.2 million Palestinian civilians.
The Biden administration has insisted that Israel present a plan on how it intends to enter Rafah and operate there while protecting the civilians.
To that end, Israel says it has prepared two parallel plans – one to evacuate the civilians, the other to attack Hamas and rescue the hostages.
There is no perfect formula for fighting a terror organization that hides behind civilians and there is no perfect formula for ensuring that a war against terrorists does not result in civilian casualties.
Israel must continue to adhere to the laws of warfare and customary international law as well as the Geneva Conventions to ensure it is compliant and in line with its insistence that it does so. Israel must also continue to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and prevent a famine from taking place in the enclave.
If Israel ensures the safety of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, whether by evacuating them from Rafah or facilitating the transfer of overwhelming amounts of humanitarian aid, it is possible the international community will provide Israel with backing to complete its war against Hamas.