The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution on Monday demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the duration of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan as well as the unconditional release of all hostages. The resolution, which passed to widespread applause, is the first to be approved by all U.N. Security Council members after four previous attempts during the past five months of war. The U.S., which vetoed three previous resolutions and put forward its own failed proposal last week, abstained. U.N. Security Council resolutions are binding on member states, though it remains unclear how it will be enforced. Despite some efforts to take U.S. edits to the resolution into account, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the U.S. “did not agree with everything in the resolution,” most notably its failure to include explicit condemnation of Hamas. “For that reason, we were unfortunately not able to vote yes.” The U.S.’s decision to abstain from the resolution comes amid heightened tensions between the Biden Administration and the Israeli government, the latter of which has been unwilling to heed international calls for greater humanitarian access to Gaza, where experts warn that famine is imminent. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also rebuffed the Biden administration’s warnings against launching a ground invasion on Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians are currently sheltering. Although President Biden invited an Israeli delegation to Washington this week to discuss alternative approaches to a ground invasion, Netanyahu threatened to cancel those meetings if the U.S. didn’t veto the resolution. After the resolution passed, Netanyahu’s office announced that the delegation would not leave for Washington as scheduled. White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the Biden Administration is "very disappointed about Netanyahu's decision not to send his advisers for talks at the White House about the Rafah operation." While human-rights organizations have praised the resolution’s passage, many of them, such as the International Rescue Committee, continue to call for a sustained ceasefire beyond Ramadan, which is due to end in just two weeks. Source: Time  

Condemning the Israeli atrocities committed against innocent women and children in Gaza, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called upon all parties to ensure humanitarian access and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during delivering a statement at the Opening Ceremony of the International Conference on Women in Islam: Status and Empowerment held on 6 November 2023 in Jeddah, KSA. Reaffirming Bangladesh’s commitment to remain united for an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, the Prime Minister expressed her steadfast commitment to do her part on behalf of the Palestinian brothers and sisters. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attended the Conference as Guest of Honor as a global recognition of her exemplary role in women empowerment. She spoke about women empowerment locally and globally and expressed Bangladesh’s readiness to share her experience in enhancing the opportunities of Muslim women in particular.  Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom Saudi Arabia (Chair of the Islamic Summit), OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, the Vice-President of Benin, the United Nations Deputy-Secretary General Amina Mohammed, Foreign Minister of Indonesia, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Mauritanians Abroad of Mauritania delivered speech in the Opening Ceremony of the Conference.  On the sideline of the Opening Ceremony of the Conference Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan, OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha, Vice-President of the Iran for Women and Family Affairs Ensieh Khaz'ali, and Executive Director of OIC Women Development Organization (WDO) Dr. Afnan Alshuaibly called on the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, separately.  This three-day long Conference aims at shedding light on the successes of Muslim women and promote women empowerment in Muslim societies.

Colombia has struck a ceasefire deal with five illegal armed groups, including ELN guerrillas, FARC dissidents and drug gangs. Colombia's government has announced a ceasefire with the five main illegal armed groups operating in the country in a bid to support peace talks. The groups include leftist guerrilla group the National Liberation Army (ELN), along with dissident groups run by former members of the now-demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Segunda Marquetalia and Estado Mayor Central. President Gustavo Petro announced the six-month ceasefire Saturday on New Year's Eve. What has Colombia's Petro said? "We have agreed to a bilateral ceasefire with the ELN, the Second Marquetalia, the Central General Staff, the AGC and the Self-Defense Forces of the Sierra Nevada from January 1 to June 30, 2023, extendable depending on progress in the negotiations," Petro said on Twitter. The leftist leader and former guerrilla called the move a "bold act."  "The bilateral ceasefire obliges the armed organizations and the state to respect it. There will be a national and international verification mechanism," he added. Petro has vowed to end Colombia's internal conflict, which has been going on for nearly six decades and has seen at least 450,000 people die. What do we know about the armed groups? According to the independent think-tank, Institute for Development and Peace Studies (Indepaz), the armed groups still functioning in Colombia —  the largest cocaine producer in the world — are locked in deadly tussles over drug trafficking revenues and other illegal businesses. Earlier this month, the ELN — the last recognized insurgency in the Andean country — announced  a nine-day unilateral ceasefire over Christmas and completed the first round of peace talks between the two parties in Venezuela's Caracas. The Segunda Marquetalia and Estado Mayor Central groups have also held separate talks with the government.

Indian Army Chief Manoj Mukund Naravane said on Thursday that the Ceasefire on Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan continues to hold as India negotiated from a position of strength. He also said that the developments on the Northern Borders adequately underscored the requirement of ready and capable forces, with an optimal component of Boots on Ground, backed by modern technology. "Ceasefire on LoC (with Pak) continues to hold as we negotiated from a position of strength.," said Naravane. India and Pakistan agreed on a ceasefire in February last year after which the incidents of cross border firing have come down significantly. The Army chief pointed out that the developments on our Northern borders adequately underscored, the requirement of ready and capable forces, with an optimal component of Boots on Ground, backed by modern technology. The remark of the chief was in the context of the ongoing military standoff with China where the Chinese Army unilaterally attempted to change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Eastern Ladakh sector in 2020. The Army Chief said that it is being observed that some countries are challenging the globally accepted norms and the rule-based order. "This challenge has manifested in various forms of creeping aggression and opportunist actions, to alter the status-quo, keeping the threshold below all-out war," he added. He said that the developments in Afghanistan have brought to focus the use of proxies and non-state actors to decisive effects, adding that such actors thrive on local conditions, innovatively exploit low-cost options to devastating impact and create conditions that limit full use of sophisticated capabilities. Naravane said that the Israel-Hamas conflict last year has firmly underscored the power of Artificial Intelligence. "Recent strikes on UAE by Houthis using armed drones and missiles reflect the rapid proliferation of these disruptive technologies to a wide range of actors," he added. Source: ANI

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement which controls the Gaza Strip, appeared to hold Friday after 11 days of deadly fighting that pounded the Palestinian enclave and forced countless Israelis to seek shelter from rockets. Gaza City was quiet under a cover of fluffy clouds, with only a thin column of smoke wafting into the skies after Israeli air strikes came to a halt, an AFP journalist reported. Celebrations were heard on Gaza streets in the minutes after the truce began as cars honked their horns and some guns were fired in the air, AFP journalists reported, while in the occupied West Bank, joyful crowds also took to the streets. With no alerts sounding in Israel to warn of incoming Hamas rockets, calm reigned across much of the Jewish state. Residents on both sides of the conflict voiced relief that a ceasefire had taken effect. “It’s a good decision to be honest with you because people from both sides are done with what’s going on,” said Amwrah Dana, a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem. In Tel Aviv, Avital Fast said he wanted to be optimistic about the ceasefire. “I really hope that it will remain because the only thing that we want here is to live our life without any alarms or fire.” The truce brokered by Egypt, that also included Gaza’s second-most powerful armed group, Islamic Jihad, was agreed following mounting international pressure to stem the bloodshed which erupted on May 10. – ‘Genuine opportunity’ – US President Joe Biden welcomed the deal. “I believe we have a genuine opportunity to make progress and I’m committed to working toward it,” Biden said at the White House, hailing Egypt’s role in brokering the agreement. A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the security cabinet had “unanimously accepted the recommendation of all of the security officials … to accept the Egyptian initiative for a mutual ceasefire without pre-conditions”. Hamas and Islamic Jihad also confirmed the ceasefire in statements. “This is the euphoria of victory,” said Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas figure, in front of a crowd of thousands of Palestinians who had gathered in the streets to celebrate. The Israeli statement said its air campaign had made “unprecedented” achievements in Gaza, a territory it has blockaded since 2007, the year of Hamas’s takeover. “The political leadership emphasises that it is the reality on the ground that will determine the future of the operation,” it added. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “will meet with Israeli, Palestinian and regional counterparts in the coming days to discuss recovery efforts and working together to build better futures for Israelis and Palestinians,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price. – Egypt to monitor – Fighting erupted earlier this month after weeks of tensions in Jerusalem, notably over planned evictions of Palestinians from their homes in east Jerusalem to make way for Jewish settlers, and clashes at the sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound. The Israeli army said Hamas and other Islamist armed groups in Gaza have since fired more than 4,300 rockets towards Israel, but the overwhelming majority of those headed for populated areas were intercepted by its Iron Dome air defences. The rockets have claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Israeli soldier, with one Indian and two Thai nationals among those killed, the police say. Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, as well as fighters, and have wounded another 1,900, according to the Gaza health ministry. Vast areas have been reduced to rubble and some 120,000 people have been displaced, according to Hamas authorities. Diplomatic sources told AFP in Cairo that “two Egyptian delegations will be dispatched to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories to monitor its (the ceasefire) implementation and procedures to maintain stable conditions permanently.” UN chief Antonio Guterres, who also welcomed the deal, said Israel and the Palestinians now had a responsibility to have “a serious dialogue to address the root causes of the conflict.” He also called on the international community to work with the UN on a “robust package of support for a swift, sustainable reconstruction and recovery”. – ‘Stay home’ – Before Israeli officials met Thursday to approve the ceasefire proposal, rocket fire had continued towards southern communities near the Gaza border. The Israeli army had ordered the area’s residents to stay in their homes “until further notice.” Shortly after the truce was announced, Islamic Jihad boasted it had “managed to humiliate” Israel. The group also vowed to remain the defender of Palestinians in Jerusalem, holy to both Muslims and Jews. The Gaza militants’ Lebanese ally Hezbollah, which itself fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006, congratulated the Palestinians on a “historic victory” over Israel. Israel’s bombardment of what it describes as military targets in Gaza began after clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Hamas had given Israeli forces a 6:00 pm deadline to leave the compound, one of Islam’s holiest places and possibly the world’s most sensitive religious site. When the deadline expired, Hamas launched rockets, prompting Israel’s military to launch an operation aimed at heavily degrading the Islamist group, which has controlled Gaza since 2007. The Israeli army said it has hit hundreds of military targets in Gaza and killed dozens of militant commanders. Netanyahu said the campaign set Hamas and Islamic Jihad back “many years”. Palestinian and international groups accused Israel of recklessly hitting non-military sites during the campaign. Israel says it takes all steps to avoid civilian casualties, including by phoning residents to warn them of imminent strikes, and blames Hamas for placing weapons and military sites in densely populated areas. The unrest also sharply heightened tensions and sparked violence between Jews and Arab-Israelis, while Palestinian protesters in the West Bank and east Jerusalem have repeatedly clashed with security forces. Source: AFP/BSS AH

In scenes that would have seemed impossible a few days ago, members of the Afghan Taliban have been embracing Afghan security forces amid a three-day ceasefire called to mark Eid. Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has extended the government's ceasefire and called on the Taliban to do the same. The government has also released some Taliban militants from jail. But 25 people died in a suicide attack on one gathering of Taliban and government officials in Nangarhar. Taliban members and local residents were among the victims of the attack, province spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said, adding that 54 people were wounded. The Islamic State group, which is active in the area, said it carried out the attack. President Ghani wants the Eid ceasefire to lead to a longer peace. Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. In a televised address, Ghani said Taliban members could now receive government assistance like ordinary citizens. He did not mention the attack in Nangarhar. Earlier this month the Taliban denied that they were in secret talks with the Afghan government. Ghani has also confirmed the death of the commander of the Pakistani Taliban, Maulana Fazlullah, in a US drone strike in Afghanistan on Thursday. For many Afghans these are extraordinary scenes. The two sides were fighting each other just a few days ago. The unprecedented development has raised hopes of permanent peace in the war ravaged country. Neighboring Pakistan is considered key in starting the peace process as many Afghan Taliban leaders are believed to be living inside the country. However Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring Islamist insurgents who have carried out several violent attacks inside Pakistan in the past. But the reported killing in Afghanistan of Mullah Fazlullah, one of Pakistan's most wanted militants, could address some of Islamabad's security concerns. In Kabul itself, dozens of unarmed Taliban fighters entered to celebrate the unprecedented ceasefire. One Taliban member was pictured holding an Afghan flag on a bridge in the city as residents took selfies with him. Militants were also pictured with Interior Minister Wais Barmak. Source: BBC AH