UN General Assembly calls for immediate and unconditional Gaza ceasefire

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday overwhelmingly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the besieged enclave, a symbolic gesture rejected by the United States 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 captives in Gaza, saying otherwise that Hamas has no incentive to free those in captivity.

While UN Security Council resolutions are legally binding, General Assembly resolutions are not, though they do reflect world opinion.

The Palestinians and their supporters went to the General Assembly after the US vetoed a Security Council resolution on November 20 demanding an immediate Gaza ceasefire.

The language of the ceasefire resolution adopted by the assembly is the same as the text of the vetoed Security Council resolution, and demands “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire to be respected by all parties,” while also reiterating a “demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages”.

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

“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 to end this nightmare.”

At least 44,805 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed as a result of the war that was launched on October 7, 2023 following a retaliatory military operation staged by Gaza’s resistance movements in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long campaign of occupation and deadly attacks against Palestinians.