The UN Security Council passed today a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the holy month of Ramadan and the urgent need to expand the flow of aid into Gaza.
The draft also reiterated its demand for lifting all barriers with Gaza for the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale, in line with international humanitarian law as well as resolutions 2712 (2023) and 2720 (2023).
The Russian verbal amendment did not pass due to a lack of votes. But in the substantive vote, there were 14 in favor, with the US abstaining. The resolution therefore has passed.
Reacting immediately after the vote, Secretary-General António Guterres said on X that the long-awaited resolution must be implemented; the Council’s failure to do so “would be unforgivable.”
Disagreement in the Council has seen several rounds of drafts quashed by one or more of its five veto-wielding permanent members (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) since the Israeli aggression began on October 7, 2023.
Since the start of the Israeli brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip, the United States has vetoed three resolutions demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.