Vetoes fly in UNSC as Israel readies ground assault

GAZA CITY: Facing growing international pressure to rethink plans of a massive ground assault, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel was preparing for a ground incursion into Gaza, even as Tel Aviv shelling killed more civilians amid growing pressure to deliver aid to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

At the United Nations, meanwhile, Russia and China vetoed a draft UN Security Council Resolution, whereas a rival Russian-drafted text failed to win the minimum number of votes.

Anger over civilian deaths has been inflamed further by a sense of betrayal, as many of those who heeded Israel’s call to move south are also being killed.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled from north to south in tiny, crowded Gaza after Israel warned them it would mainly bombard the north in its quest to eliminate Hamas. However, the bombing has been indiscriminate, targeting civilian buildings, schools and hospitals.

Violence has also risen sharply in the occupied West Bank, where health officials said more than 100 Palestinians had been killed, mostly in raids by Israeli troops or in clashes with Israeli settlers.

In a rare rebuke to Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, US President Joe Biden reiterated calls for a two-state solution for Palestinians and the Israelis once the current conflict subsides.

“I continue to be alarmed about extremist settlers attacking Palestinians in the West Bank,” Biden said, accusing them of pouring gasoline on a fire. “They’re attacking Palestinians in places that they’re entitled to be.”