UN General Assembly calls for Gaza ceasefire as US, Israel votes against

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday unanimously endorsed a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic gesture opposed by the United States and Israel.

The resolution — voted 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” — phrasing similar to a draft vetoed by Washington in the Security Council last month.

At that time, Washington utilized its veto authority on the Council — as it has previously — to protect its ally Israel, which has been at war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian terrorist group’s October 7, 2023 offensive.

It has insisted on the idea of making a truce conditional on the release of all captives in Gaza, claiming otherwise that Hamas has no motivation to free those in captivity.

Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood echoed that view Wednesday, saying it would be “shameful and wrong” to accept the text.

Ahead of the vote, Israel’s UN envoy Danny Danon said: “The resolutions before the assembly today are beyond logic. (…) 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 paralyzed 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.