The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, strongly supporting the work of the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees. On Wednesday, the assembly passed a resolution demanding a permanent and unconditional ceasefire that gained 158 votes in favor with nine opposed and 13 abstentions.
A second resolution, which supports UNRWA and condemns a new Israeli law that aims to ban the agency’s operations in Israel, was adopted with 159 votes in favor, nine against, and 11 abstentions. This resolution calls upon Israel to respect UNRWA’s mandate and to fulfill all of its international obligations, while calling for safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance throughout Gaza.
These decisive votes came after two days of emotional speeches before the UN, with scores of delegates repeating a sense of urgency toward ending what has been termed a disastrous 14-month conflict in the Palestinian territory, which killed at least 44,805 people-mostly women and children.
Slovenia’s Ambassador to the UN Samuel Zbogar described the situation in Gaza as dramatic: “Gaza doesn’t exist anymore. It is destroyed. Civilians are facing hunger, despair, and death.” He urged an immediate ceasefire and the return of hostages.
Algerian Deputy UN Ambassador Nacim Gaouaoui cited a global failure in addressing the crisis: “the price of silence and failure in the face of the Palestinian tragedy is a very heavy price, and it will be heavier tomorrow.
From the UN headquarters in New York, Gabriel Elizondo reported that the resolutions send a very clear message: The UNRWA mandate must be protected, and there is overwhelming global support for a ceasefire in Gaza.
However, against the resolutions stood Israel and its closest ally, the United States: US Deputy UN Ambassador Robert Wood reiterated Washington’s opposition to the ceasefire. He also criticized the Palestinian leadership for not mentioning Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in significant casualties and hostage-taking.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon accused supporters of the resolutions of being complicit with Hamas, and argued that a ceasefire which did not include the issue of hostages would only worsen matters.
While General Assembly resolutions do not have the same legal standing as Security Council resolutions, they represent world opinion. The action in the General Assembly came after the US vetoed a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on November 20. The language of the ceasefire resolution adopted is identical to the vetoed text in calling for an unconditional ceasefire and the immediate release of all hostages.
The Palestinian UN Ambassador, Riyad Mansour, called Gaza “the bleeding heart of Palestine,” and called on the international community to respond to the harrowing plight of children suffering from hunger and despair. He emphasized that their suffering should haunt the conscience of the world and urged urgent action to end the continuing crisis.
