The UN Security Council is welcoming the cease-fire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers and calls for full adherence to the cessation of hostilities.
Saturday's statement was approved by all 15 members of the council. It said the council “mourned the loss of civilian lives resulting from the violence” and “stressed the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly in Gaza.”
The statement further said it was urgent to restore calm and “reiterated the importance of achieving a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognised borders.”
Council members backed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' call for the international community to work with the United Nations in developing a “robust package of support for a swift, sustainable reconstruction and recovery.”
The council recognised “the important role” in achieving the cease-fire played by Egypt as well as other regional countries, the UN, the Quartet of Mideast mediators — the UN, U.S., European Union and Russia — and other international players.
The United States, Israel's closest ally, had earlier blocked four proposed council statements calling for a cease-fire that all other members supported, saying it could interfere with Biden administration efforts to end the hostilities.