Middle East war

USA submits new resolution for ceasefire

Civilians fetching water in the Gaza Strip

(Bild: AFP)

A UN resolution on an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip failed in the Security Council on Tuesday. Representatives of the USA vetoed the resolution and want to submit a new resolution to the Security Council themselves.

The rejected text from Algeria called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel's army and Hamas. The US draft only mentions a temporary ceasefire. "Under the current circumstances", "a major ground offensive in Rafah would lead to further harm to the civilian population and to their further displacement, possibly also to neighboring countries", it says. It is still unclear when and whether the resolution will be voted on.

Civilians fetch water.

(Bild: AFP)

Hamas leader traveled to Cairo
Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has traveled to Cairo for talks with representatives of the Egyptian leadership. Haniyeh has been living in Qatar for some time and has recently held several talks in the Egyptian capital. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not send a delegation to Egypt for the previous round of talks in Cairo on Thursday. In his view, Hamas' demands are excessive.

Attacks move closer to Egypt
There is currently growing concern in Cairo that many of the 1.5 million Palestinian civilians could flee Rafah and stream across the border (see video above). According to security circles, a buffer zone has already been set up on the Egyptian side to accommodate up to 100,000 people in tents and buildings. However, it is conceivable that this was already built before the war began.

If Israeli shells were to land on Egyptian soil, the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries would be put to the test. To date, a "cold peace" has prevailed, although the two countries share many common interests.