A new text demanding an “immediate”
ceasefire
in Gaza is being studied by the UN Security Council this Tuesday, February 20, while the international organization fears an
“explosion”
in the number of child deaths in the Gaza Strip.
Le Figaro
takes stock of the latest events linked to the conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas.
Vote expected in the UN Security Council, under threat of an American veto
The UN Security Council must decide this Tuesday (10 a.m. local time, 4 p.m. Paris) on a new text demanding an “immediate”
ceasefire
in Gaza, a resolution threatened by a new veto from the United States. United, their third since the start of the war between their Israeli ally and Hamas.
The draft resolution prepared by Algeria
“demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire which must be respected by all parties”
.
He opposes the
“forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population”
, while Israel has mentioned an evacuation of civilians before a ground offensive in Rafah where 1.4 million people are crowded in the south of the Gaza Strip.
And he demands the release of all the hostages.
The United States warned this weekend that the Algerian text was not acceptable, threatening to veto it.
“We do not believe that this product of the Council would improve the situation on the ground, and therefore if this resolution is put to a vote, it will not pass
,” reiterated Monday the deputy American ambassador to the UN Robert Wood.
Risk of
“
explosion
”
in number of child deaths in Gaza, says UN
The United Nations sounded the alarm on Monday: an alarming lack of food, rampant malnutrition and the rapid spread of diseases could lead to an
“explosion”
in the number of child deaths in the Gaza Strip.
UN agencies say food and clean water have become
“extremely scarce”
in the Palestinian territory and almost all young children suffer from infectious diseases.
“The Gaza Strip is on the verge of seeing an explosion in the number of preventable child deaths, which could worsen the already unsustainable level of child deaths in Gaza
,” said Ted Chaiban, deputy head of the Gaza Strip. humanitarian action within Unicef.
At least 90% of children under the age of five in Gaza are affected by one or more infectious diseases, according to this report from Unicef, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Program (WFP).
During the two weeks preceding this assessment, 70% of them suffered from diarrhea, 23 times more compared to the 2022 baseline situation.