UN General Assembly calls for ‘unconditional’ Gaza ceasefire

The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic ­gesture rejected by the US and Israel

The General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York. Picture by Kena Betancur/AFP

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic ­gesture rejected by the US and Israel.

The resolution – adopted by a vote of 158-9, with 13 abstentions – urges “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire”, and “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” – wording similar to a text vetoed by Washington in the ­Security Council last month.

At that time, Washington used its veto power on the council – as it has before – to protect its ally Israel, which has been at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group’s October 7, 2023 ­attack.

It has insisted on the idea of making a ceasefire conditional on the release of all hostages in Gaza, saying otherwise that Hamas has no incentive to free those in captivity.

Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood repeated that position on Wednesday, saying it would be “shameful and wrong” to adopt the text.

Ahead of the vote, Israel’s UN envoy, Danny Danon, said: “The resolutions before the assembly today are beyond logic.” He added: “The vote today is not a vote for compassion. It is a vote for complicity.”

The General Assembly often finds itself taking up measures that cannot get through the ­Security Council, which has been largely paralysed on hot-button issues such as Gaza and Ukraine due to internal politics, and this time is no different.

The resolution, which is non-binding, demands “immediate access” to widespread humanitarian aid for the citizens of Gaza, especially in the besieged north of the territory.

Dozens of representatives of UN member states addressed the assembly before the vote to offer their support to the Palestinians.

“Gaza doesn’t exist any more. It is destroyed,” said Slovenia’s UN envoy Samuel Zbogar.

“History is the harshest critic of inaction.”

That criticism was echoed by Algeria’s deputy UN ambassador, Nacim Gaouaoui, who said: “The price of silence and failure in the face of the Palestinian tragedy is a very heavy price, and it will be heavier tomorrow.”

Hamas’s October 2023 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1208 people, mostly ­civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. That count includes hostages who died or were killed while being held in Gaza.

“Gaza today is the bleeding heart of Palestine,” Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said last week during the first day of debate in the assembly’s session on the issue.

“The images of our children burning in tents, with no food in their bellies and no hopes and no horizon for the future, and after having endured pain and loss for more than a year, should haunt the conscience of the world and prompt action.”

AFP