The U.N. General Assembly voted Friday to grant new rights to Palestine. It also called on the Security Council to reconsider its request to join the United Nations.
The vote also recognizes Palestine's right to become the 194th member of the body.
The 193-member world body approved the Arab and Palestinian-sponsored resolution. They did so by a vote of 143-9 with 25 abstentions.
The United States vetoed a popular council resolution on April 18. It would have led to full United Nations membership for Palestine. This is a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent.
The resolution to expand Palestine’s rights at the UN has passed with strong support. One hundred forty-three countries voted for it, nine voted against it, and 25 abstained.
We will bring you a full breakdown of how each country voted shortly.
One hundred and forty-three countries voted for Palestine. They voted for it to get more rights at the United Nations. That is significant.
Before the vote, we were hearing, it was 120 to 130, or at most 140. Getting 143 meets and beats all expectations.
It’s passed.
‘World stands with the Palestinian people’: Abbas welcomes UN vote
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Palestine will keep pushing for full UN membership. This is after today’s General Assembly vote.
He said the vote showed the world supports the rights and freedom of the Palestinians. It also showed that the world is against Israel’s occupation.
Gaza death toll rises
Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 34,943 Palestinians and wounded 78,572 since October 7. This is according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The ministry reported that 39 people died and 58 injured. This happened in the last 24 hours.
UN sounds alarm over aid as Israel pushes assault into Rafah
The United Nations warned on Friday that aid for Gaza could stop in days. Israeli troops entered Rafah to fight Palestinian fighters. Rafah is a key aid corridor for the famine-threatened strip.
Israeli tanks captured the main road. It divides the eastern and western sections of Rafah. This move encircles the eastern part of the city. The assault caused Washington to block some military aid to its ally.
Residents described almost constant explosions and gunfire. They happened east and northeast of the city on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip on Friday. The fighting was intense. It was between Israeli forces and militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Hamas said it ambushed Israeli tanks near a mosque in the city. This shows the Israelis had come several kilometers from the east to the city's edge.
Israel has ordered civilians out of the eastern part of Rafah. This forced tens of thousands to seek shelter outside the city. Rafah was the last refuge for more than a million who fled other parts of the enclave during the war.
Israel says it cannot win the war without attacking Rafah. They need to root out thousands of Hamas fighters there. Israel believes the fighters are sheltering in Rafah. Hamas says it will fight to defend it.
Supplies were already running out. Aid operations could stop within days. This is because fuel and food stocks are getting used up, the United Nations aid agencies said.
"For five days, no fuel or much humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip. "We are scraping the barrel," said Hamish Young. He is the UNICEF Senior Emergency Coordinator in the Gaza Strip.
Aid agencies say the battle has put hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk. The civilians were already displaced.
"It's not safe. All Rafah isn't safe. "Tank shells landed everywhere since yesterday," said Abu Hassan, 50. He lives in Tel al-Sultan west of Rafah and told Reuters. He spoke via a chat app.
"I am trying to leave but I can't afford 2,000 shekels ($540) to buy a tent for my family," he said. More people are leaving Rafah. They are leaving even from its western areas. The occupation did not declare these areas as red zones."
Israeli tanks have sealed off eastern Rafah from the south. They captured and shut the only crossing between the enclave and Egypt. On Friday, they advanced on the Salahuddin road, which cuts across the Gaza Strip. This completed the encirclement of the "red zone" where they ordered residents out.
"The situation has deteriorated in Rafah," said James Smith. He is a British ER doctor who has volunteered there for the last three days.
"The number of airstrikes has increased. The number of artillery strikes has increased. We've heard that heavy military equipment, like tanks, has been on the streets of eastern Rafah. They have also been at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt," he said. He said this in a voice message his colleague sent to Reuters.
Bridget Rochios is an American midwife. She is volunteering at Rafah's main maternity hospital. She said in a text message that the hospital still helps pregnant women. They help those with medical emergencies. But, it must send others elsewhere to give birth at less well-equipped facilities. Around half of staff had stopped coming in because of Israeli evacuation orders.
The Israeli military said its forces found the shafts in eastern Rafah. Troops fought at close range with groups of Hamas fighters. An air strike backed them and they killed several. It said Israeli jets had hit several sites. In recent days, they fired rockets and mortars towards Israel. This includes at the Kerem Shalom crossing point.
Supplies were already running out. Aid operations could stop within days. This is because fuel and food stocks are getting used up, the United Nations aid agencies said.
"For five days, no fuel or much humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip. "We are scraping the barrel," said Hamish Young. He is the UNICEF Senior Emergency Coordinator in the Gaza Strip.
Aid agencies say the battle has put hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk. The civilians were already displaced.
"It's not safe. All Rafah isn't safe. "Tank shells landed everywhere since yesterday," said Abu Hassan, 50. He lives in Tel al-Sultan west of Rafah and told Reuters. He spoke via a chat app.
"I am trying to leave but I can't afford 2,000 shekels ($540) to buy a tent for my family," he said. More people are leaving Rafah. They are leaving even from its western areas. The occupation did not declare these areas as red zones."
Israeli tanks have sealed off eastern Rafah from the south. They captured and shut the only crossing between the enclave and Egypt. On Friday, they advanced on the Salahuddin road, which cuts across the Gaza Strip. This completed the encirclement of the "red zone" where they ordered residents out.
"The situation has deteriorated in Rafah," said James Smith. He is a British ER doctor who has volunteered there for the last three days.
"The number of airstrikes has increased. The number of artillery strikes has increased. We've heard that heavy military equipment, like tanks, has been on the streets of eastern Rafah. They have also been at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt," he said. He said this in a voice message his colleague sent to Reuters.
Bridget Rochios is an American midwife. She is volunteering at Rafah's main maternity hospital. She said in a text message that the hospital still helps pregnant women. They help those with medical emergencies. But, it must send others elsewhere to give birth at less well-equipped facilities. Around half of staff had stopped coming in because of Israeli evacuation orders.
The Israeli military said its forces found the shafts in eastern Rafah. Troops fought at close range with groups of Hamas fighters. An air strike backed them and they killed several. It said Israeli jets had hit several sites. In recent days, they fired rockets and mortars towards Israel. This includes at the Kerem Shalom crossing point.
