United Nations General Assembly votes to demand immediate ceasefire in Gaza

The United Nations General Assembly has voted to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in war-torn Gaza, in a rebuke to the United States which last week blocked a similar resolution in the smaller Security Council.

A majority of 153 nations voted for the ceasefire resolution in the General Assembly’s emergency special session Tuesday, while 10 voted against and 23 abstained.

Tuesday’s brief resolution calls for a ceasefire, for all parties to comply with international law, and for humanitarian access to hostages as well as their “immediate and unconditional” release. It notably contains stronger language than an October vote in the assembly that had called for a “sustained humanitarian truce.”

While a general assembly vote is politically significant and is seen as wielding moral weight, it is not binding, unlike a Security Council resolution.

The vote, hailed as “historic” by Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, comes as the war between Israel and Hamas enters its third month, and as medics and aid groups sound alarm bells on the humanitarian situation in besieged Gaza. More than 18,000 people have been killed in the enclave since fighting broke out, the Hamas-controlled health ministry in the enclave said Monday.

Israel has said it will not stop its military campaign until it eradicates Palestinian group Hamas, which controls Gaza, following Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel which killed 1,200 people and saw around 240 kidnapped, according to Israeli authorities. Over 100 hostages are thought to remain in captivity in Gaza.

Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan described the resolution as a “disgraceful” attempt to bind Israel’s hands, warning that “continuing Israel’s operation in Gaza is the only way any hostages will be released.”

Israel along with the United States, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Austria, Czechia, Guatemala, Liberia, Micronesia and Nauru voted against the resolution.

While Israel says it targets Hamas militants in Gaza, aid groups have repeatedly raised alarms about the civilian toll of its military campaign.

UN officials warn that with vital infrastructure blasted to rubble and limited access to water, medicine and food, more Gazans may end up dying of diseases than from bombs and missiles. Hunger is a growing issue in the enclave.

“We are at a breaking point,” United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said last week. “There is high risk of the collapse of the humanitarian support system in Gaza, which would have devastating consequences.”

Israel, with staunch US backing, has rejected calls for a ceasefire, though it previously agreed to a seven-day truce for the release of hostages held in Gaza.

In comments to the assembly, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that Washington does “agree that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire…and that civilians must be protected with international humanitarian law,” but added that the resolution must include a proposed US amendment condemning Hamas.

”A ceasefire right now would be temporary at best, and dangerous at worst,” she said. “Dangerous to Israelis, who would be subject to relentless attacks, and also dangerous to Palestinians who deserve the chance to build a better future for themselves free from a group that hides behind innocent civilians.”

The United States on Friday vetoed a separate ceasefire resolution in the UN Security Council, which had been approved by a majority of the powerful 15-member council.