UN chief welcomes Security Council’s adoption of Trump’s Gaza plan

GENEVA - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Nov 18 called the passing of a US-backed resolution on Gaza an important step in the consolidation of the ceasefire, in a statement sent to reporters.

The UN Security Council on Nov 17 voted to adopt a US-drafted resolution
endorsing President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza and authorising an international stabilisation force there.

“It is essential now to translate the diplomatic momentum into concrete and urgently needed steps on the ground,” Mr Guterres said in the statement, adding that the UN is committed to scaling up humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

Mr Guterres also said it was important to continue advancing to the second phase of the US plan, leading to a political process to achieve a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

UN agencies have complained that, more than a month after the ceasefire, they still cannot get enough aid into Gaza to meet the needs of millions of people displaced and traumatised by the two-year war.

“We are managing to get more in, but it’s not enough,” Mr Ricardo Pires, spokesperson for the UN children’s agency, told a Geneva press briefing on Nov 18. REUTERS