The resolution demanded "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" in the war between Israel and the Palestinian group, along with "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages."

Against the backdrop of the grinding conflict in Gaza, a city largely devastated by more than six months of war and a siege on its 2.4 million people, the Security Council is expected to take up the matter of full Palestinian UN membership this Thursday, several diplomatic sources told AFP....

Eight of the council's 10 non-permanent members have been working on the draft, which also calls for the "immediate and unconditional" release of hostages seized by Hamas and the lifting of "all barriers" to humanitarian aid flowing into the besieged Gaza Strip.

The draft resolution, seen by AFP, "demands an immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan that leads "to a permanent sustainable ceasefire" respected by all sides. It also demands both the "immediate and unconditional" release of Israeli hostages.

"Of course, we stand with Israel and its right to defend itself... but at the same time, it's imperative that the civilians who are in harm's way and who are suffering so terribly -– that we focus on them, that we make them a priority, protecting the civilians, getting them...

The plan lays out that, even after the war, the Israeli army would have "indefinite freedom" to operate throughout Gaza to prevent any resurgence of Hamas activity, according to the proposals. The plan was swiftly rejected by the Palestinian Authority and drew criticism from the United States.

Dubai, UAE -- The United States has proposed a rival draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council, emphasizing its support for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, Reuters reported. The proposed resolution echoes the language US President Joe Biden's said he used in his recent discussions with Israel's Prime Minister...

Mediator Qatar acknowledged that separate ceasefire talks had also hit an impasse after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected some Hamas demands as "ludicrous". Israel has concentrated its military operations in Khan Yunis, the hometown of Hamas's Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, whom it accuses of masterminding the October 7 attack.

The US forces targeted many positions in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a drone attack on a base in Jordan that killed three US soldiers. The strikes, which targeted elite Iranian units and pro-Iranian militant groups, have led to fears that the ongoing war in Gaza could spiral into...

In a speech to the Security Council, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres demanded that "Israel's occupation must end." Guterres warned that "this refusal and the denial" of the right to statehood to the Palestinian people would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and...

The Council in a joint statement denounced attacks on civilians and the spread of the violence "into areas hosting large populations of internally displaced persons, refugees, and asylum seekers." The statement added that the members of the Security Council expressed alarm at the spreading violence and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan."

This week's back and forth comes after an impasse earlier this month, when the United States, despite unprecedented pressure from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, blocked the adoption of a Security Council resolution on the war. It had called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip.

Israel -- backed by its ally Washington, a veto-wielding permanent Security Council member -- has opposed the term "cease-fire." This is one of the sticking points for the divided body to navigate as diplomats call for a "pause" or a "truce," or try to qualify any cease-fire as "humanitarian."

The Security Council has faced sharp international opprobrium as it has managed to pass only one resolution on Gaza since the start of the war, in which the 15-member body called for "humanitarian pauses" -- after five other resolutions were rejected, including two thanks to American vetoes.

The UN General Assembly passes a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, highlighting the Security Council's inaction and putting pressure on Israel and the US.

With calls for a ceasefire multiplying, "it is safe to assume that the majority will be greater" this time, Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group told AFP. This may bring the Assembly closer to the 140 or so countries (out of 193 member states) that have repeatedly denounced the...

Washington, US – A committee of the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit under the chairmanship of Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia have held official discussions with the Secretary of State of the US Antony Blinken, here. The committee stressed their call on the...

Tehran, Iran - Iran warned Saturday of the threat of an "uncontrollable explosion" of the situation in the Middle East, after the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the top diplomat of the Islamic republic, also appealed for the...

Guterres had convened an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after weeks of fighting left more than 17,487 people dead in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza."The United Arab Emirates is deeply disappointed," said the representative of the...

In a letter to the council on Wednesday, Guterres took the extraordinary step of invoking the UN charter's Article 99, which states that the secretary-general may bring to the attention of the council "any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security."

Beijing, China--China's top diplomat Wang Yi will visit New York this week to hold a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Beijing's foreign ministry said on Monday. "As it holds the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council this month, China will hold a high-level meeting on...

The UN chief was informed about the decision by the country's ambassador to the UN, saying Sudan was terminating the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) with immediate effect. According to the UN chief's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, the mission's mandate was scheduled to end on December 3.

Dubai, UAE-- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China have called for a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for Monday. The UN Security Council will discuss, in particular, the strikes on the Palestinian refugee camp Jabalia in the north of the Gaza Strip and...

New York, US--The UAE has announced the launch of a new digital response platform that will support disaster-affected countries to quickly and efficiently communicate their humanitarian needs to the international community.The UAE made the announcement during a United Nations Security Council open debate titled “Maintenance of international peace and security:...

A statement said he was "looking forward to conducting visits in the region and meetings, engaging all concerned ahead of the issuance of the report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council in October". The conflict dates back to 1975, when colonial occupier Spain withdrew from Western Sahara, sparking a 15-year war...

United Nations, United States--The United States on Wednesday accused Sudan of having threatened to expel the United Nations mission from the war-torn country if the UN envoy, already in Khartoum's crosshairs, speaks before the Security Council on the atrocities of the conflict. During a session devoted to Sudan and South Sudan,...

Russia vetoed a nine-month extension of the agreement allowing for the conduit during a vote at the UN headquarters in New York, and then failed to muster enough votes to adopt just a six-month extension. The UN-brokered agreement that allows for the delivery of aid overland from Turkey into rebel-held...

New York, US--The Arab Group has welcomed the adoption by the UN General Assembly by consensus of a resolution on continuing intergovernmental negotiations on reforming the UN Security Council  during the next session. The step will allow member states to continue working collectively, in order to formulate a common understanding...

Tehran, Iran--Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations has rejected the claim by the United States and its allies about Russia’s use of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war. The mission in a statement on Friday said the "anti-Iran claims" are aimed to influence the six-month periodic report of UN...

Exhorting the Security Council to adopt what she called as innovative attempts to address the interplay between climate change, peace and security, Mariam Almheiri, UAE's Minister of Climate Change and Environment, warned that the threat of climate change was not a hypothetical scenario but a "risk multiplier" and many were...

NEW YORK,  US - Minister of State Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar chaired the first signature event of the UAE’s United Nations Security Council presidency. The UAE minister stressed on strengthening cooperation between the UN and the League of Arab States to further peace, security and stability in the region. Al...

New York, USA - Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, the UAE Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, has called for urgent global action to tackle food insecurity and climate change at Security Council sessions at the United Nations headquarters in New York, USA. The minister also discussed key related topics...

Kyiv, Ukraine--Ukraine on Saturday branded Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of April "a slap in the face", joining a chorus of outrage from Western countries. Moscow assumes the presidency as part of its monthly rotation between the Security Council's 15 member states, with ties with the...

The Security Council has an obligation to find ways to "provide protection" for Palestinian civilians, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations pleaded Tuesday after Israeli settlers attacked a town in the occupied West Bank. "We believe that the Security Council has a responsibility to shoulder, especially with regard to...

Japan will use its place on the United Nations Security Council to push for an African seat on the top world body, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Sunday. "Japan reiterates its determination to redress the injustice against Africa of not being represented through a permanent membership on the Security Council,"...

Diplomats at the UN Security Council have expressed concern at the situation in Gaza despite the tenuous truce between Islamic Jihad and Israel after three days of deadly fighting. Russian ambassador stressed the council is "deeply concern by this turn of events, which could lead to the resumption of a...

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for the Security Council to extend its authorization of cross-border aid into northwest Syria by a year a policy that veto-holding Russia has criticized.

Experts say the chances of reforms will remain slim so long as the permanent members refuse to accept any dilution of their power.

The world must not forget the millions of people in need across the Middle East and North Africa, UN chief Antonio Guterres told the Security Council.

Russia called a meeting of the 15-member Security Council to repeat its previously made, unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine, with US help, had operated a network of 30 laboratories carrying out ‘very dangerous biological experiments’ aimed at spreading ‘viral pathogens’ from bats to people.

The announcement of the expulsion came on the last day of Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council and it ceded the presidential seat to UAE on Tuesday.

Speaking at a monthly meeting on the Middle East, Riyad Mansour evoked the term “apartheid” 15 times and called on the Council to protect “our long-suffering people.”

The unprecedented panel is considered a model for reconciliation that could help resolve future conflicts if necessary.

The United States and its allies rounded on Russia during an emergency Security Council session Monday, denouncing Vladimir Putin's recognition of rebel-held areas in Ukraine and his ordered deployment of troops as a gross violation of international law and "pretext for war." Addressing the session, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield heaped...

The UN Security Council on Monday adopted a British-drafted resolution extending its political mission in Libya for just three months, after several days of a standoff between the United States and Russia.

In an annual report, a panel of UN experts said it had concluded that ‘all military and paramilitary forces loyal to the Sanaa-based authorities fall under this definition’ of having violated the arms embargo. The rebels control the capital Sanaa.

South Korea has used $18 million of frozen Iranian assets to pay Tehran's dues to the UN, Seoul said Sunday, in a move to immediately restore the country's voting power. The payment was made Friday in cooperation with the US and the UN after Iran made an "emergency request" to...

Several countries — ranging from regional ones like Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Egypt, to Russia and the US — have come together to condemn the attacks. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has even said his country would “work with the UAE and international partners to hold [the Houthis]...

The Saudi-led military coalition backing Yemen's internationally-backed government against the rebels said the Rwabee was returning from a mission to set up a field hospital.

For the West, the renewal to July had been interpreted as automatic, while Russia had raised the possibility of requesting a new Security Council vote, though it has not taken that step. In his December report, UN chief Antonio Guterres had stressed the impossibility of replacing at this stage the...