The United Nations Security Council agreed on a statement Sunday calling for "an immediate and unconditional humanitarian cease-fire" in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas and scheduled a meeting at midnight to adopt it, according to Reuters.
The council was meeting as Muslims started celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, Reuters reported.
The push for a cease-fire follows new attacks by Israel and Hamas on Sunday despite going back and forth over proposals for another temporary halt to nearly three weeks of fighting, according to Reuters.
The presidential statement says the humanitarian cease-fire would allow for the delivery of urgently needed assistance, Reuters reported.
It urges Israel and Hamas "to accept and fully implement the humanitarian cease-fire into the Eid period and beyond," according to Reuters.
The statement also calls on the parties "to engage in efforts to achieve a durable and fully respected cease-fire, based on the Egyptian initiative," Reuters reported.
Rwanda, the current council president, announced agreement Sunday night on the presidential statement and the immediate meeting, according to Reuters. It was drafted by Jordan, the Arab representative on the U.N.'s most powerful body.
Presidential statements become part of the council's official record and must be approved at a council meeting, where they are almost always read, Reuters reported. The statements are a step below Security Council resolutions and require approval of all 15 members.
The statement never names Israel or Hamas. Instead, it expresses "grave concern regarding the deterioration in the situation as a result of the crisis related to Gaza and the loss of civilian lives and casualties," according to Reuters.
