Israel-Hamas war: UN overwhelmingly backs Gaza cease-fire

The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations said the overwhelming vote in favor of a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, in which 153 countries backed a cessation of fighting, marked a “historic day.”

Riyad Mansour said the vote demonstrates that the US could no longer continue “to ignore this massive power” and described the General Assembly vote as a culmination of public sentiment.

“Today was a historic day in terms of the powerful message that was sent from the General Assembly,” said the Palestinian ambassador. 

“It is our collective duty to continue in this path until we see an end to this aggression against our people.” Israel  has started pumping seawater through the network of Hamas-operated tunnels beneath Gaza, according to reports published by US outlets The Wall Street Journal and ABC News.

The tunnels are crucial for  Hamas, who keep hostages, food, fighters and munitions below ground level.

The flooding attempt, however, could contaminate Gaza’s fresh water supply and take weeks to have any strategic effect, an unnamed US official told US media.

Israel is believed to be evaluating the strategy’s effectiveness. Israel has not yet commented on the US reports.