Simon Oluwatobi Reporting
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has voted to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in war-torn Gaza. This move stands as a rebuke to the United States, which has consistently blocked ceasefire calls in the UN Security Council.
In the emergency special session on Tuesday, 153 nations voted in favor of the ceasefire resolution, while 23 abstained, and 10 countries, including Israel and the United States, voted against it.
Although the UNGA resolution is non-binding, it serves as an important indicator of global opinion. The Palestinians sought a decisive result to demonstrate unequivocal global support for ending Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, and the vote reflected this.
In contrast, a previous UN resolution on October 27 calling for a “humanitarian truce” received 120 votes in favor, 14 against, and 45 abstentions.
The recent vote underscores a growing global consensus on the necessity of halting Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, which has resulted in over 18,000 Palestinian deaths, with reports indicating that up to 70 percent of the fatalities were women and children. Additionally, more than 80 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced.
The adopted UNGA resolution expresses “grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population.”
It calls for the protection of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians under international law and demands the immediate release of all hostages.
The humanitarian conditions in Gaza, described as “hell on earth” by UN officials, have been exacerbated by relentless air strikes and an Israeli siege, severely restricting access to food, fuel, water, and electricity in the Palestinian territory.
Last week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, issuing warnings about serious threats to international peace.
However, a failed UN Security Council resolution on Friday, which called for a humanitarian ceasefire, faced a US veto, as the sole dissenting vote, preventing its passage. Unlike UNGA votes, UNSC resolutions have the power to be binding.
