- 18 Nov 2025 - 05:45(05:45 GMT)
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For more on the US resolution passed by the UN Security Council, read our article here.
And you can read about calls for answers over Canada’s interrogation of Israel critic Richard Falk here.
Palestinians welcome their sick relatives at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Monday after they were returned to Gaza from Jerusalem where they were receiving treamtent [Haitham Imad/EPA] - 18 Nov 2025 - 05:40(05:40 GMT)
Here’s what happened today
- The UN Security Council has approved the US’s ceasefire plan for Gaza, backing the creation and deployment of an international stabilisation force.
- The US has described the passage of the resolution as historic, while the Palestinian Authority said it stood fully ready to cooperate with the Trump administration and ensure the implementation of the document.
- Hamas has rejected the resolution, saying it “imposes an international guardianship mechanism on the Gaza Strip”.
- Russia and China have abstained from the vote, expressing concern over Palestinian participation and the lack of a clear role for the UN in the future of Gaza.
- Human rights group Al-Haq has also warned that the resolution undermines Palestinians’ right to self-determination and that it authorises the US to establish itself as an occupying power.
- 18 Nov 2025 - 05:30(05:30 GMT)
Israeli opposition party slams passage of Gaza resolution
Avigdor Lieberman, an ultranationalist politician who leads the Yisrael Beytenu party, has criticised the Israeli government over the passage of the UN resolution on Gaza.
“What happened tonight at the UN is a result of the Israeli government’s failed conduct,” he wrote on X. “The decision led to a Palestinian state, a Saudi nuclear [programme] and F-35 planes for Turkey and Saudi Arabia.”
“This is a fire sale of Israel’s security. The face of the Middle East is changing, and not to our benefit,” he added.
Advertisement - 18 Nov 2025 - 05:15(05:15 GMT)
Malaysia says resolution is ‘important step in the right direction’
Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement calling on the UN Security Council to ensure the resolution on Gaza is implemented swiftly and thoroughly.
The ministry said that doing so will help to “realise the rights of the Palestinians, including their right to Statehood, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to guarantee the right of return of Palestinian refugees”.
“Malaysia will continue to support all efforts that are grounded in international law and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations towards realising an independent and sovereign State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the Capital,” the statement added.
PRESS RELEASE : MALAYSIA CALLS UPON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO END THE GAZA CONFLICT WITH A COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTION GROUNDED IN INTERNATIONAL LAW
SIARAN AKHBAR : MALAYSIA MENGGESA MASYARAKAT ANTARABANGSA MENANGANI
KONFLIK DI GAZA DENGAN SATU PENYELESAIAN KOMPREHENSIF YANG… pic.twitter.com/tZawIX1Ir4— Wisma Putra (@MalaysiaMFA) November 18, 2025
- 18 Nov 2025 - 05:00(05:00 GMT)
Israel vows to ensure Hamas is disarmed
We have a reaction from Israel’s envoy to the UN, Danny Danon, on the resolution adopted by the Security Council.
“Just as we are determined to bring all the hostages home, we will demonstrate the same determination in ensuring that Hamas is disarmed,” he said in a statement, according to The Times of Israel.
“We will not stop or let up until Hamas no longer presents a threat to the State of Israel,” he added.
- 18 Nov 2025 - 04:45(04:45 GMT)
Photos: Protesters rally in support of Palestinians outside US mission to the UN
People gathered to protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza outside the US Mission to the United Nations, in New York, the United States, on Monday [Selcuk Acar/Anadolu] 
The protesters gathered as the US put forward a vote on a resolution that would grant the US and Israel extensive authority over administrative and future governance arrangements in Gaza [Selcuk Acar/Anadolu] 
People waved Palestinian flags and held protest signs at the protest outside the US mission, which is also across the road from UN headquarters, where the vote took place [Selcuk Acar/Anadolu] 
[Selcuk Acar/Anadolu] - 18 Nov 2025 - 04:30(04:30 GMT)
Palestinian group says UN resolution violates right to self-determination
Al-Haq has warned that the UNSC resolution adopted on Monday further undermines Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
“The proposition that the United States be authorised by the UN Security Council to establish itself as an Occupying Power in Palestine is inherently in contravention of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, and in violation of the UN Charter,” the Ramallah-based human rights organisation said in a statement.
Al-Haq also warned that the creation of the Board of Peace and the temporary international stabilisation force “indicates the wholesale abandonment of international law, and the utter undermining of the UN Charter system”.
- 18 Nov 2025 - 04:15(04:15 GMT)
Concerns remain over Palestinian participation in implementing UN resolution
More from Daniel Forti, the analyst at the International Crisis Group.
He told Al Jazeera that concerns about accountability, political oversight, and Palestinian participation in the proposed board of peace and the international stabilisation force were “absolutely valid”.
Still, “we do see this resolution as an opportunity for the entire international community to give a bit more oomph to the ceasefire deal at a moment when everything is quite precarious”, he said.
Diplomacy should not stop here, he said.
“There needs to be considerable attention paid now to how all of these institutions get stood up, even if the Security Council doesn’t have a formal role in this and the US and its Arab partners are using both multilateral fora and bilateral channels to work out some of the finer details of this,” he said.
“Without more political engagement, without a process that is credible to the Palestinians, implementation of any of these provisions is going to be incredibly challenging,” Forti added.
- 18 Nov 2025 - 04:00(04:00 GMT)
What does the Gaza resolution say about Palestinian statehood?
While the resolution does mention a possible future Palestinian state, it does so in a convoluted manner.
The text says that “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” once the Palestinian Authority has carried out a reform programme and Gaza’s redevelopment has advanced.
It also says that the US “will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence”.
The reference to a future possibility of statehood for the Palestinians has proved controversial in Israel.
Netanyahu, who is under pressure from right-wing members of his government, said on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a Palestinian state and pledged to demilitarise Gaza “the easy way or the hard way”.
Advertisement - 18 Nov 2025 - 03:45(03:45 GMT)
Gaza stabilisation force will not be subject to UN rules
Daniel Forti, a senior UN analyst with the International Crisis Group, says there needs to be a credible creation process for the international stabilisation force (ISF).
He said the Security Council has authorised organisations that are not the UN, including coalitions such as NATO, to launch military intervention with its legal blessings.
“And that was the basic concept of what the US put forward for the ISF,” he told Al Jazeera from New York City.
“The ISF is not meant to be a UN Blue Helmet mission. It will not be led or overseen by the UN, and will not follow its procedures or its rules. But it will have the council’s legitimacy and its backing,” he said.
The ISF will also not be subject to the UN’s traditional practices for mobilising troops or funding and missions, he said.
“So this will very much depend on the countries that want to contribute boots on the ground and pay for the stabilisation force.”
Forti added that humanitarian groups in Gaza have noted a need for a mission that has the permission to use force, in order to maintain law and order, in the war-torn territory.
- 18 Nov 2025 - 03:30(03:30 GMT)
Photos: Amputee football tournament begins in Gaza
Palestinians, some of whom were injured in previous conflicts and others in the current war between Israel and Hamas, take part in a football tournament for amputees, in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, November 17, 2025 [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo] 
[Jehad Alshrafi/AP] 
[Jehad Alshrafi/AP] 
[Jehad Alshrafi/AP] - 18 Nov 2025 - 03:15(03:15 GMT)
South Africa’s top diplomat says flights part of ‘clear agenda to cleanse’ Gaza
South Africa’s Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola has described the transfer of Palestinians from Gaza to his country as part of a “clearly orchestrated operation”.
“It does look like it’s it represents a broader agenda to remove Palestinians from Palestine into many different parts of the world,” Lamola told reporters on Monday in Johannesburg.
“We do not want any further flights to come our way, because this is a clear agenda to cleanse out the Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank,” he added.
At least two planes have arrived in South Africa carrying hundreds of Palestinians, in flights organised by a shadowy organisation, which has been accused of acting in coordination with Israeli authorities.
- 18 Nov 2025 - 03:00(03:00 GMT)
More on the International Stabilization Force for Gaza
- The resolution says the force will work with Israel and Egypt along with newly trained Palestinian police to secure border areas, demilitarise Gaza and protect civilians and humanitarian operations.
- As the force establishes control and stability, the Israeli military will withdraw from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence, according to the text.
- US Ambassador Mike Waltz said the force will be “a strong coalition of peacekeepers, many from Muslim-majority nations like Indonesia [and] Azerbaijan”.
- The force will “deploy under a unified command” and begin its activities “while Israel phases out its presence”, Waltz added.
- Notably, the force will not be an official UN peacekeeping force, sometimes referred to as “blue helmets”, because it will be overseen by the Board of Peace, which was also created by Monday’s resolution.
- The UN Security Council has not sent any peacekeepers to Palestine or Israel but has had thousands of peacekeepers stationed near Israel’s borders since the 1970s, including UNIFIL in Lebanon and UNDOF in the occupied Golan Heights.
- 18 Nov 2025 - 02:45(02:45 GMT)
WATCH: Al Jazeera uncovers details about group behind transfer of Palestinians from Gaza
Al Jazeera has uncovered new details linking a suspicious group to an Israeli plan to transfer Palestinians out of Gaza.
The Al-Majd Europe group is at the centre of a controversy involving dozens of Palestinians from Gaza who landed at an airport in South Africa on Thursday. The group worked with the Israeli government unit tasked with transferring people out of Gaza, calling it “voluntary migration”.
Watch below:
- 18 Nov 2025 - 02:30(02:30 GMT)
What did other UNSC members say?
- The United Kingdom said it voted for the resolution to advance the US peace plan for Palestinians and Israelis and stressed the urgent need to deploy the International Stabilization Force, open all crossings and enable unhindered aid into Gaza.
- France said it voted yes to “support the ongoing peace efforts” and meet the “most urgent needs of the population”, including the delivery of humanitarian aid and disarmament of Hamas.
- South Korea said it welcomed the Board of Peace, the International Stabilization Force and the full resumption of aid.
- Slovenia said the resolution offers the best chance for the truce to lead to lasting peace and reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian right to self-determination.
- Denmark, too, called the plan the “best chance for lasting peace”, enabling Palestinians to shape their future and reunite Gaza with the occupied West Bank under a reformed Palestinian Authority.
- 18 Nov 2025 - 02:15(02:15 GMT)
Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza
As we’ve been reporting, the US resolution for Gaza that was adopted by the UN Security Council was based on Trump’s 20-point peace plan.
Here’s a reminder of what that plan entails:
- 18 Nov 2025 - 02:00(02:00 GMT)
What is the Board of Peace?
As we’ve been reporting, the UN Security Council has adopted a resolution that endorses the establishment of a Board of Peace as a “transitional administration” in Gaza.
Here’s what to know:
- The resolution says the Board of Peace will coordinate reconstruction efforts in Gaza and will also establish the temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) for the territory.
- Trump, in a social media post after the vote, said he will be the chairman of the board and it will include “the most powerful and respected Leaders throughout the World”.
- He added that announcements about the members of the board will be “made in the coming weeks”.
- According to the resolution, the authorisation for the board and force expires at the end of 2027.
- China and Russia, which abstained from the vote, expressed concerns the resolution didn’t include enough detail on the specifics of the board’s role and responsibilities.
Advertisement - 18 Nov 2025 - 01:45(01:45 GMT)
Why disarming Hamas will be difficult to implement
Israel and the US are now dictating their terms, and Hamas and various Arab partners are at the receiving end of this diktat.
Within this context of power, hegemony, the US will be dictating the nature of the Board of Peace and the stabilisation force. And that means there will be countries friendly to Israel and the US. And that means their job is not just going to be to keep the peace on the borders but also find a way to disarm Hamas.
I think that’s going to be the complicated job because that also involves Israel acting on its own commitments, which means withdrawing to a narrow corridor on the eastern part of Gaza and so on.
All of this will be very difficult to implement.
The US will be involved but only from the outside. The US doesn’t want to get involved in terms of troops or money. But those countries who are going to contribute soldiers and money, they are going to need guarantees – in terms of a safe passage forward in relation to Hamas.
This is really important.
No Arab or Muslim-majority country wants to be put in a position, even under pressure, of doing Israel’s bidding in Gaza or doing Israel’s dirty work because Israel failed. After two years of genocide, of killing tens of thousands of people, it failed to disarm Hamas directly on the battlefield.
- 18 Nov 2025 - 01:30(01:30 GMT)
UN hails Gaza resolution as ‘important step’ to consolidate truce
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the Gaza resolution as “an important step in the consolidation of the ceasefire” and called for the diplomatic momentum to be translated into “concrete and urgently needed steps on the ground”.
Stephane Dujarric said the UN is committed to its role in implementing the US resolution, including “scaling up humanitarian assistance” in Gaza and “supporting all efforts to move the parties toward the next phase of the ceasefire”.
He also said Guterres “commends the continued diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, the United States and regional states”.
The secretary-general also “underlines the importance of moving to the next phase of the US plan, leading to a political process for the achievement of the two-state solution in line with previous United Nations resolutions,” he added.
- 18 Nov 2025 - 01:15(01:15 GMT)
US envoy says vote against resolution would have seen ‘return to war’
We have more from Mike Waltz, the US envoy to the UN.
He told reporters outside the Security Council chamber that the adoption of the US resolution was the “first real step in generations” towards “lasting peace” in Gaza and the region. He noted that the agreement had the support of Muslim-majority nations as well as the Palestinian Authority and that Israel, too, had “indicated that we could move forward”.
So the US, he said, then asked the rest of the Security Council “how could you stand against it?”
Walz also said the US made clear to Security Council members that voting against the resolution would have seen a return to war.
“I want to be clear, the United States made it clear, President Trump, Secretary Rubio, my good friend Jared Kushner, special envoy Witkoff, we all made it clear that a vote against this resolution was a vote to return to war,” Waltz said.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz speaks to the media at UN headquarters in New York [Adam Gray/Getty Images via AFP]
Updates: UN Security Council approves US plan for Gaza stabilisation force
These were the updates from the UN Security Council vote on US-sponsored resolution on Gaza, from Monday, November 17.
![US ambassador to United Nations Michael Waltz and Britain's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations James Kariuki vote during a meeting of the UN Security Council to consider a in New York City, US, November 17, 2025. [Eduardo Munoz/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025-11-17T220820Z_1357363912_RC2MYHAIL7SO_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-UN-1763418618.jpg?resize=730%2C410&quality=80)
Israel linked to shady company behind Gaza ‘displacement’ flights
Published On 17 Nov 2025
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- The UN Security Council has approved the US ceasefire plan for Gaza, which includes the deployment of an International Stabilization Force to the Strip.
- Hamas has rejected the presence of foreign military personnel in Gaza, saying it would be exchanging Israeli occupation for “foreign guardianship”.
- Israeli drone fire has wounded at least 13 Palestinians, including a child, in a school-turned-shelter in the Darraj neighbourhood of Gaza City.
- Authorities in Gaza say displaced Palestinians need at least 300,000 tents to shelter in as winter in the enclave deepens.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 69,483 Palestinians and wounded 170,706 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks, and about 200 were taken captive.
