
UN Security Council likely to vote Wednesday on Gaza action
June 3 (Reuters) - The ten elected members of the U.N. Security Council have asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," said diplomats.
The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the U.N. throughout the enclave.
A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, Britain or France - to pass.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Procter & Gamble announces mass layoffs
Procter & Gamble has announced it will slash 7,000 jobs as consumer's pullback amid economic uncertainty. The maker of Gillette shaving products and Tide laundry pods revealed the 15 percent cut to its workforce on Thursday. In April the group said a 'more nervous consumer reducing consumption' meant they had to lower sales and profit guidance for the year. As well as cutting jobs P&G will divest a number of its businesses and restructure the organization, chief financial officer Andre Schulten (pictured) said at a conference on Thursday. Part of this reorgantzaion will involve more automation and digitization, as well as cutting down management teams. P&G has tried to stress to investors that the layoffs and restructuring are not simply a reactive measure to recent market turmoil. However, Schulten admitted that heightened geopolitical tension particularly in the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia combined with Trump's trade policies are weighing on consumers. It comes after P&G said it would look at raising prices to pass on the impact of tariffs on to consumers. Net sales for the group fell two percent in the first three months of the year, a bigger drop than expected. P&G is not alone in trying to manage its workforce with a major jobs report released yesterday revealing that hiring has slowed nationally. US private payrolls increased far less than expected in May, the ADP National Employment Report showed - a new potential warning sign for the direction of the US economy. The US economy will be among the hardest hit with growth slowing from 2.8 percent in 2004 to just 1.6 percent this year, according to the group's new forecasts. The Paris-based organization also predicted that Trump's tariffs will hit the global economy harder than expected, slashing its growth forecast for the year down to 2.9 percent compared to 3.3 percent last year.


Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Israeli Finance Minister says banks should not obey EU sanctions on settlers
JERUSALEM, June 5 (Reuters) - Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday condemned the country's banks that have refused to provide services to Israeli settlers sanctioned by the European Union and warned they may have to pay compensation to them. The EU last year imposed sanctions on five Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians and Smotrich said there were reports of sanctions being considered against other settlers. But in a letter to the banking supervisor, he said Israeli banks should not follow a "zero risk" policy since it leads to the abandonment of Israeli clients "under the guise of compliance with foreign sanctions." In a statement quoting his letter to the regulator, Smotrich called on banks to use their legal, economic, and international strength to fight "unjust sanctions". "The banks' enormous profits enable them to take measured risks on behalf of their clients — especially when it comes to a national moral injustice," Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionism party, said. Should banks continue to comply with sanctions and harm clients, Smotrich said he intended to promote immediate legislation that would require banks to pay substantial compensation to affected customers. He also intends to require the Bank of Israel itself to offer banking services to citizens targeted by sanctions. Responding to the letter, the Bank of Israel said that while banks must comply with international sanctions to avoid an array of risks, a draft directive it published on Thursday aimed to ensure appropriate banking services were available for the affected customers. "Circumventing foreign sanctions regimes through the Israeli banking system exposes banking corporations to multiple risks, including compliance risks, anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing risks, legal risks, and reputational risks," the central bank said. But it said it has taken steps to comply with sanctions "without banks resorting to blanket refusals to serve such customers." While the sanctions in question concern Israeli settlers, the EU is reviewing its broad pact governing its political and economic ties with Israel in the face of mounting international pressure on Israel amid complaints about the lack of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza in the wake of the war triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Without meat, families in Gaza struggle to celebrate Islam's Eid al-Adha holiday
With the Gaza Strip devastated by war and siege, Palestinians struggled Thursday to celebrate one of the most important Islamic holidays. To mark Eid al-Adha – Arabic for the Festival of Sacrifice -- Muslims traditionally slaughter a sheep or cow and give away part of the meat to the poor as an act of charity. Then they have a big family meal with sweets. Children get gifts of new clothes. But no fresh meat has entered Gaza for three months. Israel has blocked shipments of food and other aid to pressure Hamas to release hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war. And nearly all the territory's homegrown sheep, cattle and goats are dead after 20 months of Israeli bombardment and ground offensives. Some of the little livestock left was on sale at a makeshift pen set up in the vast tent camp of Muwasi in the southern part of Gaza's Mediterranean coast. But no one could afford to buy. A few people came to look at the sheep and goats, along with a cow and a camel. Some kids laughed watching the animals and called out the prayers connected to the holiday. 'I can't even buy bread. No meat, no vegetables,' said Abdel Rahman Madi. 'The prices are astronomical.' The Eid commemorates the test of faith of the Prophet Ibrahim – Abraham in the Bible – and his willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of submission to God. The day is usually one of joy for children – and a day when businesses boom a bit as people buy up food and gifts. But prices for everything have soared amid the blockade, which was only slightly eased two weeks ago. Meat and most fresh fruits and vegetables disappeared from the markets weeks ago. At a street market in the nearby city of Khan Younis, some stalls had stuffed sheep toys and other holiday knickknacks and old clothes. But most people left without buying any gifts after seeing the prices. 'Before, there was an Eid atmosphere, the children were happy … Now with the blockade, there's no flour, no clothes, no joy,' said Hala Abu Nqeira, a woman looking through the market. 'We just go to find flour for our children. We go out every day looking for flour at a reasonable price, but we find it at unbelievable prices.' Israel's campaign against Hamas has almost entirely destroyed Gaza's ability to feed itself. The U.N. says 96% of the livestock and 99% of the poultry are dead. More than 95% of Gaza's prewar cropland is unusable, either too damaged or inaccessible inside Israeli military zones, according to a land survey published this week by the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization. Israel barred all food and other supplies from entering Gaza for more than two months. It eased the blockade two weeks ago to allow a trickle of aid trucks in for the U.N. to distribute. The trucks have brought in some food items, mainly flour. But the U.N. says it has struggled to delivery much of the incoming aid because of looting or Israeli military restrictions. Almost the entire population of more than 2 million people have been driven from their homes, and most have had to move multiple times to escape Israeli offensives. Rasha Abu Souleyma said she recently slipped back to her home in Rafah -- from which her family had fled to take refuge in Khan Younis -- to find some possessions she'd left behind. She came back with some clothes, pink plastic sunglasses and bracelets that she gave to her two daughters as Eid gifts. 'I can't buy them clothes or anything,' the 38-year-old said. 'I used to bring meat in Eid so they would be happy, but now we can't bring meat, and I can't even feed the girls with bread.' Near her, a group of children played on makeshift swings made of knotted and looped ropes. Karima Nejelli, a displaced woman from Rafah, pointed out that people in Gaza had now marked both Eid al-Adha and the other main Islamic holiday, Eid al-Fitr, two times each under the war. 'During these four Eids, we as Palestinians did not see any kind of joy, no sacrifice, no cookies, no buying Eid clothes or anything.' — Chehayeb reported from Beirut.