It is “outrageous” that the UN Gaza ceasefire resolution that the General Assembly is poised to approve doesn’t include a condemnation of Hamas or a clear call to release the 229 people it is holding captive, United States ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas Greenfield said on Friday.
“Two keywords are missing in the resolution before us. This resolution fails to name the perpetrators of the October 7 terror attack,” Thomas-Greenfield said, as she called out the terror group’s name, “Hamas. Hamas.”
“Another keyword missing in this resolution is hostage,” she said.
“This resolution makes no mention of the innocent people including citizens of many of you here today, who have citizens held hostage by Hamas and other terrorist groups,” she added.
“These are omissions of evil and they give cover to and they empower Hamas’ brutality. No member state should allow that to happen. We should not let it stand.”
UNGA set to call for a Gaza ceasefire
Thomas-Greenfield spoke on the second day of a debate on a UNGA resolution calling for a Gaza ceasefire submitted by Jordan and the Arab Group.
The UNGA is expected to vote on the resolution at 3 p.m. New York time.
Concern has grown in the international community for the fate of the 2.3 Palestinians in Gaza who’ve endured 21 days of IDF aerial strikes and explosions from failed Palestinian rocket launches. Hamas asserts that over 7,000 Palestinians have been killed in the last weeks.
The resolution to halt the hostilities which focuses largely on the plight of the Palestinians, calls for the protection of all civilians and gives a nod in the direction of the captives, by calling for the release of all civilians.
But it did not specifically speak of those Hamas captured on October 7 when it infiltrated southern Israel and killed over 1,400 people.
The US, therefore, has asked to amend the resolution to include Hamas and the captives.
“The General Assembly must send a clear message to the world that we stand against all acts of terror and we stand with all those who are being held hostage,” she said.
Thomas-Greenfield stressed, “There is no justification for terror. We must condemn Hamas’ acts of terror. Hamas’s goals are single-minded and sickening. They are determined to destroy Israel and kill Jews,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
“To [Hamas] Palestinian civilians are expendable,” she said.
She clarified, however, that Israel must respect International law as it combats Hamas in Gaza, “there are no law-free zones in war,” she said.
“All actors must respect this, she added.
