THE United States proposed a draft resolution at the United Nations security council today which calls for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.

This followed a new order from Israel for Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza. 

Using tougher language than in previous weeks, the White House also warned Israel against invading the overcrowded city of Rafah.

The US has steered clear of using the word “ceasefire” during previous UN votes over Israel’s assault on Palestinians in Gaza. But despite the apparently tougher stance, the US continues to arm Israel’s attacks against the Palestinians.

Israel launched its operations in Gaza following an assault by Hamas on October 7, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 others taken hostage.

The Israeli military campaign has killed at least 29,092 Palestinians, at least two-thirds of whom are women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The US also said it would veto an Arab-backed draft resolution from Algeria which calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

The draft resolution from the US calls for a temporary ceasefire “as soon as practicable,” requires the release of all hostages taken from Israel after Hamas’ October 7 attack, and calls for the lifting of all restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The White House says both of those actions “would help to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities” as called for in a resolution adopted by the council on December 22.

The proposed resolution says Israel’s planned major ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where some 1.5 million Palestinians have sought safety, “should not proceed under current circumstances,” and warns that further displacement of civilians, “including potentially into neighbouring countries” — a reference to Egypt — would have serious implications for regional peace and security.

On Tuesday, Israeli authorities issued new orders for the evacuation of the Zaytoun and Turkoman neighbourhoods on the southern edge of Gaza City, an indication that Palestinian militants are still putting up stiff resistance in areas of northern Gaza that the Israeli military said had been largely cleared weeks ago.

This follows a new report by the Global Nutrition Cluster which said more than 90 per cent of children under five in Gaza eat two or fewer food groups a day — known as severe food poverty.

Unicef official Ted Caiban said: “The Gaza Strip is poised to witness an explosion in preventable child deaths, which compound the already unbearable level of child deaths in Gaza.”