ALBAWABA - Moscow The situation in Gaza, Syria, and Iran was the main topic of conversation during a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, according to a Kremlin announcement.
Moscow is making the call as it moves forward with its own draft resolution to end the war in Gaza at the UN. The proposal was unveiled by Russia on Thursday in response to a U.S. draft that was opposed by Beijing, Moscow, and a number of Arab nations.
The Russian text is "inspired by the U.S. resolution," but it aims to offer what it calls a "balanced, acceptable, and unified approach" to reaching a permanent halt to hostilities, according to a memo from Russia's UN mission.
The UN Secretary-General is asked to present options for the deployment of an international stabilization force in Gaza in the Russian draft. It excludes the notion of a "Peace Council" to oversee Gaza's transitional period, in contrast to the U.S. proposal.
Members of the Security Council have been urged by the U.S. mission to proceed with adopting Washington's draft.
The ceasefire in Gaza is maintained, but it is broken every day.
Israel's massive military campaign in Gaza, which started on October 7, 2023, and left over 69,000 Palestinians dead and over 170,000 injured—the majority of whom were women and children—was stopped by a ceasefire agreement. Reconstruction is expected to cost close to $70 billion, according to the UN.
However, Israel continues to commit violations that have resulted in additional casualties even after the truce went into effect on October 10 of last year. For its part, Hamas has adhered to the deal and urged the world community to hold Israel responsible.
