CAIRO (Reuters) – Hamas said on Monday it welcomed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and that it stood ready to engage in an immediate swap of prisoners with Israel.
The resolution passed on Monday demands an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, after the United States abstained from the vote.
Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages on Oct. 7, according to Israeli tallies. In an update on Monday, Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 32,333 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza, with thousands more feared buried under rubble.
With the war now in its sixth month, the United Nations has warned that at least 576,000 people in Gaza are on the brink of famine and global pressure has been growing on Israel to allow more access for aid deliveries.
(Reporting by Adam Makary and Muhammad Al Gebaly; editing by Michael Georgy and Mark Heinrich)
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