UNITED NATIONS : The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on Monday demanding an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas after the United States abstained from the vote, sparking a spat with its ally Israel.
The remaining 14 council members voted for the resolution – proposed by the 10 elected members of the body – that also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. There was applause in the council chamber after the vote.
The call for a ceasefire comes amidst a surge in violence between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, particularly in the Gaza Strip. The region has witnessed a barrage of rocket attacks launched by Hamas, the militant group governing Gaza, prompting Israeli airstrikes in retaliation. Civilians on both sides have borne the brunt of the violence, with casualties mounting and infrastructure sustaining extensive damage.
The UN Security Council’s demand for a ceasefire represents a unified international stance against the escalation of hostilities. The resolution emphasizes the urgent need to de-escalate the situation and protect civilians, calling on all parties to immediately cease all military activities. It also stresses the importance of facilitating humanitarian access to Gaza to address the growing humanitarian crisis.
However, Israel’s response to the UN Security Council’s demand remains uncertain. The Israeli government has previously rejected calls for a ceasefire, asserting its right to defend itself against rocket attacks from Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue military operations until Hamas’s ability to launch rockets is significantly degraded.
The diplomatic developments at the UN Security Council further isolate Israel on the international stage, with mounting pressure from the international community to halt the violence and pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Several countries, including key allies of Israel, have expressed concern over the escalation and called for restraint on all sides.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. fully supported “some of the critical objectives in this non-binding resolution,” but added that Washington did not agree with everything in the text, which also did not condemn Hamas.
“We believe it was important for the council to speak out and make clear that any ceasefire must come with the release of all hostages,” Thomas-Greenfield told the council. “A ceasefire can begin immediately with the release of the first hostage and so we must put pressure on Hamas to do just that.”
China’s U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun said Security Council resolutions are binding.
“For the millions of people in Gaza, who remain mired in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, this resolution – if fully and effectively implemented – could still bring long awaited hope,” he told the council.
Deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said Security Council resolutions are international law, “so to that extent they are as binding as international law is.”
However, ultimately if there is no ceasefire in Gaza, it is unlikely the Security Council will take any further action.
The resolution also “emphasizes the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to and reinforce the protection of civilians in the entire Gaza Strip and reiterates its demand for the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale.”
Guterres urged Israel on Monday to lift all obstacles to aid into Gaza and allow convoys of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA into the north of the coastal enclave.
Famine is imminent and likely to occur by May in northern Gaza and could spread across the enclave by July, according to a U.N.-backed report by a global authority on food security released last week.
Displaced Palestinians in Rafah hoped a ceasefire would be implemented.
“We hope that this time there will be a ceasefire so that things will calm down and people can go back to their homes – enough bloodshed, destruction, martyrs, and death,” Wafaa Al-Deais told Reuters as she made tea on a fire outside a tent.
Efforts to broker a ceasefire have intensified, with diplomatic initiatives from various stakeholders, including Egypt, Qatar, and the United States. However, achieving a lasting ceasefire remains elusive amidst deep-rooted tensions and longstanding grievances between Israelis and Palestinians. ( With Agency Inputs )