UN Security Council Calls for End to Gaza Violence, Two Americans Killed in Fighting
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(GENEVA) — The United Nations Security Council called for an immediate end to fighting in Gaza, expressing concerns over the rising civilian death toll.
The death toll from the two-week conflict continues to rise. In all, more than 500 Palestinians — many of them civilians, including children — were killed and more than 3,100 wounded in the past two weeks, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The overall death toll on the Israeli side rose to 20, including 18 soldiers, along with dozens of wounded troops.
The U.N. Security Council held an emergency session on Sunday night, which ended in a call for a return to a November 2012 ceasefire agreement.
The U.S. State Department confirmed that two American citizens were killed in Gaza. The deceased were identified as Max Steinberg and Sean Carmeli. State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement that the agency would not comment further on the matter, “out of respect for those affected by this.”
On Sunday, Hamas claimed that it had captured an Israeli soldier, a claim that Israel denies. “There is no kidnapped Israeli soldier — those rumors are untrue,” said Israel’s UN Ambassador Ron Prosor prior to the U.N. Security Council meeting Sunday night.
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