UN Security Council Adopts Resolution to Suspend Hostilities for Humanitarian Aid in Gaza Strip

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas.

United Nations Security Council
[Image source = Yonhap News]

On the 15th (local time), the UNSC held a meeting at the UN Headquarters in New York and passed the resolution with 12 votes in favor and 3 abstentions.

Permanent members Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom abstained instead of using their veto power. UNSC resolutions require at least 9 out of 15 member states to vote in favor, and none of the five permanent members? the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France? must exercise their veto.

The resolution includes a call for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip from a humanitarian perspective and urges the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas and others. It also emphasizes compliance with international law and the protection of civilians, including children.

Previously, four resolutions urging a temporary halt or ceasefire of military actions by both sides were submitted to the UNSC but were all rejected due to vetoes by permanent members such as the United States and Russia.

Russia insisted that the resolution should include a call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but the United States, supporting Israel’s right to self-defense, refused to accept the term "ceasefire" and insisted on using "temporary cessation of hostilities" instead.

Subsequently, UNSC members negotiated behind the scenes to draft a compromise acceptable to both sides. In this process, "ceasefire" was agreed to be replaced with "cessation of hostilities," and the language demanding a halt to fighting or the release of hostages was softened to urging.

The resolution also excluded condemnation of Hamas’s terrorist acts against Israel that occurred on October 7.

Accordingly, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom did not exercise their vetoes but expressed opposition by abstaining from the vote.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.