The US deputy ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, called it “striking” that nations pressing for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza have made few demands of Hamas after its deadly October attack, Al Jazeera reports.

Wood said Hamas should be told to “stop hiding behind civilians, lay down its arms, and surrender”. He also highlighted US efforts to secure a “pause” in the fighting to get 136 Israeli captives out of Gaza.

A proposed UN Security Council resolution in December was vetoed by the US because it was “disconnected from the situation on the ground”, said Wood, speaking at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

At the meeting, the US only got support from Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan who said a ceasefire would be “a victory for Hamas … to continue the reign of terror in Gaza”.

Editorial

31 Jul, 2026

Expanding conflict

WITH neither of the belligerents willing to back down, and the theatre of conflict expanding geographically, the...
31 Jul, 2026

Spoils and spats

A FIGHT over assembly seats in Azad Jammu and Kashmir has laid bare what seem to be some deep resentments between ...
31 Jul, 2026

Unfair tax system

THE disclosure that the FBR collected nearly Rs1.9tr in sales and income taxes through electricity bills over the...
30 Jul, 2026

Debt that stays

THE power sector’s circular debt grew by Rs61bn in the last fiscal year, taking the total to roughly Rs1.67tr from...
30 Jul, 2026

HIV warning

THE HIV infections detected around two SESSI-run hospitals in Karachi demand far more than another hurried committee...
30 Jul, 2026

End trafficking

MODERN slavery, in the form of human trafficking, is among the state’s gravest failures. Scores of Pakistanis are...