US unveils draft UN resolution seeking immediate Gaza ceasefire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud (right) sit in blue armchairs on either side of a small table with the American and Saudi flags, during their meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 20 March 2024
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left, pictured here with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, right) said that support for a US resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire would 'send a strong message, a strong signal' (photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool)

The United States has circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an "immediate ceasefire linked to the release of hostages" in the Gaza Strip, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

The diplomat made his announcement while on a tour of the Middle East that will include a stop in Israel.

Key Israel backer the United States has vetoed previous UN Security Council votes on the nearly six-month war, objecting as recently as in February to the use of the term "immediate" in a draft submitted by Algeria.

In recent weeks, however, Washington has upped the pressure on its ally, while insisting that Hamas militants must immediately release the hostages seized by militants during its attacks on Israel on 7 October.

"Well, in fact, we actually have a resolution that we put forward right now that's before the United Nations Security Council that does call for an immediate ceasefire tied to the release of hostages, and we hope very much that countries will support that," Blinken said in Saudi Arabia.

"I think that would send a strong message, a strong signal," he told Saudi media outlet Al Hadath on Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for the attacks on 7 October.

"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 humanitarian assistance," Blinken said.

US officials had been negotiating an alternative text since blocking an Algerian draft resolution calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza at the end of February.

That alternative, focusing on support for a six-week truce in exchange for the release of hostages, had little chance of winning approval, according to diplomatic sources.

A new version, seen by AFP, stresses "the need for an immediate and durable ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides, enable the delivery of essential humanitarian aid, and alleviate suffering... in conjunction with the release of hostages still held".

No vote has yet been scheduled on this text. (AFP)