Middle East crisis: UN general assembly to vote on draft resolution demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza
Update:
Date: 2025-06-12T06:51:39.000Z
Title: Yair Yaakov
Content: Israel has recovered the remains of two more hostages in Gaza yesterday, AP reports.
Israeli authorities identified one of the hostages recovered as who was killed during the 7 October 2023 attack and whose body was taken into Gaza. His partner and two children were also taken captive and released in a ceasefire deal early in the war.
The second hostage's identity was not disclosed.
Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said the bodies were retrieved in a 'complex' operation without disclosing details. The Israeli military said they were recovered from Khan Younis.
Update:
Date: 2025-06-12T06:47:27.000Z
Title: The United Nations general assembly will vote later today on a draft resolution that demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in', 'Gaza', 'after the US vetoed a similar effort in the security council last week, Reuters reports.
Content: The United Nations general assembly will vote later today on a draft resolution that demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza after the US vetoed a similar effort in the security council last week, Reuters reports.
The 193-member general assembly is likely to adopt the text with overwhelming support, diplomats say, despite Israel lobbying countries this week against taking part in what it called a 'politically motivated, counter-productive charade'.
General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry weight as a reflection of the global view on the war. Previous demands by the body for an end to the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas have been ignored.
Unlike the UN security council, no country has a veto in the General Assembly. Thursday's vote also comes ahead of a UN conference next week that aims to reinvigorate an international push for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The US has urged countries not to attend.
The US is drawing down the presence of staffers who are not deemed essential to operations in the Middle East and their loved ones due to the potential for regional unrest. The state department said yesterday that it's ordered the departure of all nonessential personnel from the US embassy in Baghdad. The department also is authorising the departure of nonessential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait, giving them the option to leave those countries. In addition, US Central Command said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth 'has authorised the voluntary departure of military dependents from locations' across the Middle East.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government survived an opposition bid to dissolve parliament this morning, as lawmakers rejected a bill that could have paved the way for snap elections. Out of the Knesset's 120 members, 61 voted against the proposal, with 53 in favour. The opposition had introduced the bill hoping to force elections with the help of ultra-Orthodox parties in the governing coalition angry at Netanyahu over the contentious issue of exemptions from military service for their community.
Hospitals said 21 people in Gaza were killed on their way to collect aid from food distribution sites on Wednesday. The Israeli army said it fired warning shots in central Gaza toward 'suspects that posed a threat to troops.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation accused Palestinian militant group Hamas of attacking aid workers en route to a distribution centre on Wednesday, saying at least five people were killed. 'We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage,' GHF said in a statement.
Israel's government is issuing 'clearly illegal' orders that must not be obeyed, a group of Israeli military intelligence officers have said, announcing they will no longer participate in combat operations in Gaza. In a letter addressed to Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the defence minister, Israel Katz, and the head of the military, the group of 41 officers and reservists said the government was waging an 'unnecessary, eternal war' in Gaza.
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Having sown the wind, Iran is reaping the whirlwind. A day after the International Atomic Energy Agency warned that the rogue state has enough enriched uranium to make nine nuclear bombs, Israel struck at the head of its military command and the heart of its weapons programme. In a stunning series of air strikes, its forces attacked nuclear facilities and missile sites. They also took out three of Iran's most senior security chiefs and several of its top atomic scientists. It was swift and it was surgical – a triumph of intelligence and planning, as well as sheer military power. And it is far from over. The Israeli Defence Forces made it clear yesterday there was nothing they will not do to prevent Tehran developing the bomb. And who can blame them? Iran is dedicated to Israel's destruction. Over many decades it has backed the Jewish state's sworn enemies, from Hezbollah to Hamas. Supreme Leader the Ayatollah Khomeini believes there can be no Middle East solution without 'the annihilation of the Zionist state'. This is hardly the basis for measured negotiation. We should not forget either that Tehran's mullahs also loathe Western liberal values and scorn democracy, so if they managed to acquire nuclear weapons, the whole world would be at risk. In that regard, Israel's enemy is our enemy. No one wants to see an escalation in hostilities in this already benighted region, but Israel believes it has no option but to act pre-emptively. We should acknowledge and support it in that. This is a people who suffered the Holocaust. Why should they stand idly by while a new generation of anti-Semites plots their extermination? And what is our own great leader Sir Keir Starmer's response to this unfolding crisis? As usual, a load of flannel – calling for calm… engaging partners to de-escalate … committed to diplomacy. The Israeli Defence Forces made it clear yesterday there was nothing they will not do to prevent Tehran developing the bomb Isn't it a bit late for that? Hostilities are well under way. So, whose side is he on? Does he back an oppressive theocracy that hates the West, spies on Britain and has had a malign hand in every Middle Eastern conflict of the modern era, or a parliamentary democracy engaged in a fight for survival? Having professed 'ironclad' support for Israel immediately after the October 7 massacre when still in opposition, he and his ministers have been rowing back ever since – not least because many Labour MPs and voters are rabidly anti-Zionist. The Government has scaled back arms supplies, criticised operations in Gaza and Israeli politicians, and there are signs Sir Keir is about to recognise Palestine as a state. The Left constantly bangs on about a 'two-state solution' but how would it be achieved? Who would draw the boundaries? Israel rightly sees the UN as a bad actor in this drama and will not be bound by its prejudices. And it certainly wouldn't co-operate with the international courts, which it views as similarly pro-Palestinian. Who would live where? And how could the two states live in harmony when one is committed to the obliteration of the other? Hamas and Iran don't want a two-state solution for the Holy Land, they want a one-state solution – without Jews. Sir Keir fancies himself as a statesman as he parades around the world gladhanding leaders and looking earnest. But statesmanship is more than photo-opportunities. It sometimes requires hard choices. When it comes to choosing between backing Iran or Israel, there should be no hesitation.
