US urges UN to press Hamas to accept bridging proposal for Gaza ceasefire

Washington's envoy says this is a 'decisive moment' in the Middle East

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The US on Thursday urged the UN Security Council to press Hamas to accept the bridging proposal put forward by the US, Egypt and Qatar in order to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza.

“We now have a path forward to save lives, bring relief to the people of Gaza, get the hostages back home and de-escalate regional tensions. Again, Israel has accepted the bridging proposal. Now Hamas must do the same,” said US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

“As members of this council, we must speak with one voice and we must use our leverage to press Hamas to accept the bridging proposal, which includes massive and immediate benefits for the Palestinians in Gaza and incorporates a number of Hamas's earlier demands.”

Ms Thomas-Greenfield’s remarks come as Washington attempts yet another diplomatic blitz aimed at bringing about a ceasefire and securing the release of Israeli hostages from Hamas custody in Gaza.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelled to Israel, Egypt and Qatar in his ninth trip to the Middle East since October 7.

Mr Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and a host of other leaders, but once again failed to push the ceasefire efforts markedly forward.

Hours after Mr Blinken concluded his trip, President Joe Biden was back on the phone with Mr Netanyahu.

In a call with the Israeli leader on Wednesday, Mr Biden “stressed the urgency of bringing the ceasefire and hostage release deal to closure”, the White House said.

At the UN, Ms Thomas-Greenfield said this was a “decisive moment” in the Middle East.

“It is urgent that we secure a ceasefire and a hostage deal now – not soon, but now.”

That was a call echoed by many at the Security Council, but the Palestinian ambassador asked what had been stopping the council from enacting a ceasefire before.

“For more than two and a half months, who stopped you from implementing Resolution 2735, which starts with a ceasefire?” Riyad Mansour asked the council.

“Are you willing to act? Are you willing to do something on the basis of what you approved, or do you want to continue giving excuses for the Israeli occupying authorities to continue killing?”

The Israeli ambassador hit back after Mr Mansour's speech, accusing him of never issuing a condemnation of Hamas.

“Mr Mansour, if you cannot condemn them, you are one of them. You do not represent the Palestinian people,” said the Israeli representative Danny Danon. “You are a terrorist in a suit.”

Tor Wennesland, the UN special co-ordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the council that the spiralling crisis in the Middle East has left the region at an “inflection point”.

“With all of these negative trends, and after more than 300 days of warning Gaza, we are at an inflection point in the Middle East and a ceasefire and hostage release deal is imperative now, for regional peace and security,” he said.

The UN diplomat urged both Israel and Hamas to “reach a deal in the coming days”.

“There is simply no time to lose,” he said.