MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

UNGA calls for humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza

Meanwhile, on the battlefront, Israel expanded its ground operations in Gaza and intensified the air strikes

The United Nations General Assembly Friday issued a resolution calling for an “Immediate humanitarian truce” in Gaza. The document is non-binding and Israel has been reported to be upping its military deployments in the region, it was reported. The UN General Assembly resolutions do not go beyond a political gesture.

With 120 votes in favor, 14 against, and 45 abstentions, Jordan's proposal, which fails to mention either Hamas or Israel, was approved. United States, Israel, Guatemala, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, and Paraguay were among those opposing the new wording which provides for an “immediate and durable humanitarian truce” and the delivery of essential supplies and services to the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.

War erupted on Oct. 7 after Hamas attacked Israeli locations killing about 1,400 people and taking around 220 others hostage, including a 9-month-old Argentine baby. Some 50 of these hostages have been killed after Israel's onslaught against the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip while a few others have been released. Israel's actions have left some 7,000 people dead, according to local authorities.

The Assembly picked up the baton after a split Security Council failed to produce any document, mostly due to vetoes, which do not exist at the UNGA level.

Jordan's initiative on behalf of the Arab group and co-sponsored by nearly 50 countries, “calls for an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce, leading to a cessation of hostilities.” It also rejects the forcible transfer of the Palestinian civilian population and demands the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians held “illegally” while insisting they needed to be treated in a “humane” manner.

The resolution also stresses the importance of preventing further destabilization and escalation of violence in the region.

Uruguay was among the 45 countries -Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, India, Greece, Japan, Sweden, and Panama included- abstaining from voting, while Argentina, Brazil, Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, France, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Peru, Spain, and Belgium joined the majority favoring the proposal. Venezuela, which co-sponsored the resolution, was unable to vote as its voting rights were withdrawn for non-payment of its UN dues. For a text to be approved, two-thirds of the countries must vote.

Israel's representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called the text an “infamy” because it does not expressly condemn Hamas. “We have all witnessed that the UN no longer has an iota of legitimacy or relevance,” he said.

The resolution also condemns “all acts of violence directed against Palestinian and Israeli civilians, including all acts of terrorism and indiscriminate attacks,” and declares itself “deeply concerned by the latest escalation of violence since the attack of October 7, 2023.”

However, Jordan's proposal was criticized by US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfild, for not condemning Hamas and for not mentioning the term “hostages.”

Meanwhile, on the battlefront, Israel expanded its ground operations in Gaza and intensified the air strikes. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the army was “extending” its ground operations after two straight nights of tank incursions, raising expectations that the long-anticipated ground invasion of Gaza may be beginning. Hamas’ armed wing said it was fighting Israeli forces in two areas inside the Gaza Strip.