The UN General Assembly has recently voted for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. A clear majority of 153 votes secured the passing of this resolution in contrast to 10 votes against and 23 abstentions. Despite rising international pressure, the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is now in its third month.
The General Assembly had its meeting to discuss and vote on a resolution for the continuing crisis in Gaza, which shows no signs of slowing down. The initial two drafts of the resolution, which were rejected, contained specific references to Hamas. The final resolution, however, passed the required two-thirds majority in the third vote.
The finalized resolution emphasized four core points:
- Demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
- Reiteration of its demand for all parties to fulfil their obligations under international law, particularly regarding the protection of civilians.
- Demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and ensuring humanitarian access.
- Decision to temporarily adjourn the emergency special session and empowering the President of the General Assembly to resume the meeting upon request from Member States.
Members who voted against the resolution include nations like the US, Israel, Austria, Czechia, among others.
Before adopting this resolution, Israel’s Permanent Representative criticized the resolution’s absence of condemnation towards Hamas.
JURIST reported that despite Israel and Gaza agreed to a temporary ceasefire in November, which enabled the release of hostages and the inflow of humanitarian aid, the peace agreement collapsed after several extensions. Reports indicate that over 18,200 total fatalities have occurred since the initiation of this conflict.
This General Assembly vote happened soon after a similar resolution in the UN Security Council was outvoted due to a veto from the United States.