UN Security Council for first time demands Gaza ceasefire as US abstains

The US has said it is “perplexed” by Israel’s anger after Tel Aviv cancelled a planned trip by officials to Washington after a UN vote.

The US abstains from voting on the US resolution. Picture: Supplied

The UN Security Council has passed a resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.

The bombshell move was made possible because the United States, Israel’s ally, abstained. The US had previously vetoed the measure.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, furious at the US change in position, immediately cancelled a scheduled trip by two of his senior advisers to the US.

The White House said it was “perplexed” by Tel Aviv’s reaction.

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who is in the US on an official trip, described the UN resolution as “scandalous”.

Drawing unusual applause in the often staid Security Council, all 14 other members voted in favour of the resolution which “demands an immediate ceasefire” for the ongoing Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The resolution calls for the truce to lead to a “lasting, sustainable ceasefire” and demands that Hamas and other militants free hostages seized on October 7.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield votes abstain during a vote on a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during a United Nations Security Council meeting. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

Russia at the last minute objected to the removal of the word “permanent” ceasefire and called a vote, which failed to gain passage.

The successful resolution was drafted in part by Algeria, the Arab bloc’s current member on the Security Council, with a diverse array of countries including Slovenia and Switzerland.

The United States has vetoed previous bids for a ceasefire but has shown growing frustration with Israel, including its stated plans to expand its military operation to the packed southern city of Rafah.

America has voiced frustration with Benjamin Netanyahu as the civilian death toll mounts. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP)

Israel’s anger at US

Israeli PM Netanyahu’s office said the UN vote “hurts both the war effort and the effort to release the abductees”.

“It gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow them to accept a ceasefire without the release of our abductees,” the statement said.

It also took aim at the US abstention, calling it a “clear retreat” from its earlier position.

Mr Netanyahu said a trip to Washington DC by national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and war cabinet member Ron Dermer this week would now not go ahead.

“We’re kind of perplexed” by the move, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists, saying it “seems like the (Israeli) prime minister’s office is choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don’t need to.”

A change in tone toward its Middle Eastern ally was seen on Friday, when the United States put forward a resolution to recognise “the imperative” of an “immediate and sustained ceasefire”.

But that text was blocked by Russia and China, which along with Arab states criticised it for stopping short of explicitly demanding Israel halt its campaign in Gaza.

The United States had repeatedly blocked ceasefire resolutions as it attempts to walk a line between supporting Israel with military aid and voicing frustration with leader Benjamin Netanyahu as the civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip mounts.

Unlike Friday’s text, the call for a ceasefire in the new resolution is not directly linked to ongoing talks, led by Qatar with support from the United States and Egypt, to halt fighting in return for Hamas releasing hostages.

In five months more than 32,000 people in Palestine have been killed. (Photo by AFP)

Israel has criticised the Security Council for previous resolutions that have not specifically condemned Hamas.

The October 7 attack by the Palestinian militant group on Israel resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.

The militants also seized 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes around 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 presumed dead.

Israel’s military campaign in response to eliminate Hamas has killed more than 32,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The Security Council has been divided over the Israel-Hamas war since the October 7 attacks, only approving two of eight resolutions, which both mainly dealt with humanitarian aid.

And those resolutions seem to have had little effect on the ground, where UN personnel say Israel continues to block aid convoys as experts warn of looming famine.