Since the outbreak of violence on May 10, the UN Security Council has called on Israel and the Palestinians in its first statement to “fully abide by the ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip.

Saturday’s statement was endorsed by all 15 members of the UN Security Council, expressing “sorrow for civilian casualties caused by violence” and “emphasizing the urgent need to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, especially those in the Gaza Strip.”

The 11-day Israeli bombing of Gaza killed at least 248 people, including 66 children, and injured more than 1,900.

At least 12 people in Israel were killed by Gaza rockets.

The statement further stated that there was an urgent need to restore calm and “reaffirmed the importance of achieving comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region in which two democratic countries, Israel and Palestine, live together peacefully within secure and recognized borders.”

After the ceasefire was announced on Friday, the Palestinians will return to the destroyed house in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on May 21, 2021. [Mohammed Salem/REUTERS]

Israel’s closest ally, the United States, had earlier blocked four proposed Security Council statements, demanded that a ceasefire be supported by all other members, and said it might interfere with President Biden’s administrative efforts to end Israel’s military operations.

on Saturday, Qatar promised to work The Mauritanian Parliament urged the International Criminal Court to pass a resolution prosecuting Israeli officials for “genocide” due to their military operations in Gaza, thereby working with other Arab and Muslim countries to prevent Israeli attacks on Palestinians.

At the same time, Palestinians in Gaza took to the streets to call for a ceasefire, a trend that has been maintained since the fighting ceased on Friday.

Hundreds of Hamas fighters wearing military camouflage marched beside the mourning tents to the senior commander Bassem Issa who was killed in the battle.

Since the fighting began earlier this month, the Hamas supreme leader in the Gaza Strip, Yehyeeh Sinwar, has made public appearances for the first time.

Israel bombed the houses of Sinwar, as well as the houses of other high-ranking figures in Hamas, as part of what Israel said was an attack on the organization’s military infrastructure.

Global protest

Palestine’s pro-solidarity march was held on Saturday and lasted for a whole week of protests. Demonstrators demand The two governments imposed sanctions and military embargoes to reduce the supply of weapons to Israel.

Protests were held in Berlin, Melbourne, London and Paris, while more protests are scheduled for weekends in other major cities, including New York.

“I am proud that we can be united for such an important thing,” Amal Nagvi, who attended the London rally, told Al Jazeera.

“Many people think this is powerless… they think we are just marching and screaming. But the situation has changed, and we will not stop until the change is really in place and we have a free Palestine.”

On May 22, 2021, pro-Palestinian demonstrators staged a protest after the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian violence in London, England [Toby Melville/Reuters]

Thousands also gathered in Tel Aviv, Israel, calling on Jews and Arabs to live together.

The demonstrations are one of the demonstrations held in various parts of Israel calling for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The demonstrators marched through the city and then gathered in the center of Habima Square to hear the voices of politicians and artists.

Tel Aviv reported that Hoda Abdel-Hamid of Al Jazeera said: “This is a rare situation. You will see the Israelis oppose the occupation.”

She said that the rally was mainly organized by left-wing groups and Palestinian-Israeli political parties, and the demonstrators held up signs saying “immediate peace.”