The UN general assembly has overwhelmingly called for an “immediate, durable and sustainable humanitarian truce” between Israel and Hamas and demanded unhindered aid access to the besieged Gaza Strip.
The motion drafted by Jordan is not binding, but carries political weight, reflecting the degree to which the US and Israel are isolated internationally as Israel steps up its ground operations.
It passed late on Friday with 120 votes in favour, while 45 abstained, and 14, including Israel and the US, voted against.
The resolution did not name Hamas, which is holding about 220 civilian hostages who were seized during the devastating 7 October attacks.
But it calls for the “immediate and unconditional release” of all civilians illegally held captive and demands their safety and humane treatment, and condemns attacks on both Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
The resolution also demands essential supplies be allowed into the Gaza Strip and humanitarian workers have sustained access. And it calls on Israel to rescind its order for people in Gaza to evacuate the north and move south and “firmly rejects any attempts at the forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian population.”
The resolution also stresses the need “to urgently establish a mechanism to ensure the protection of the Palestinian civilian population”.
“It sends the message to everyone enough is enough. This war has to stop, the carnage against our people has to stop and humanitarian assistance should begin to enter the Gaza Strip,” the Palestinian envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, told reporters.
After pressure from the US and Canada, an attempt to condemn Hamas by name, and demand an immediate release of hostages was passed by 88 to 55, but failed to win the required two-thirds majority.
Jordan had originally demanded an immediate ceasefire, but in a bid to maximise support, amended the draft by calling for an immediate durable and sustainable humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities.
It is the first time the UN has come to a collective view on the Middle East crisis, after four attempts to reach a common position on the smaller 15-strong UN security council failed due to vetoes being wielded either by Russia or the US.
Israel’s ambassador, Gilad Erdan, who had argued that any ceasefire would just give Hamas time to rearm “so they can massacre us again,” responded angrily to the vote.
“Today is a day that will go down as infamy. We have all witnessed that the UN no longer holds even one ounce of legitimacy or relevance,” he said, telling the assembly: “Shame on you.”
In a statement, Hamas welcomed the call for a break in the conflict. “We demand its immediate application to allow the entry of fuel and humanitarian aid for civilians,” the group said.
Earlier in the day the US envoy, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, described the resolution as “outrageous” and said it gave cover to Hamas.
She said the Hamas goals were “single-minded and they’re sickening. They are determined to destroy Israel and kill Jews.”
“And let’s be clear, Hamas has never cared about the genuine needs or concerns or safety of the people it claims to represent. And Hamas has no respect for the rule of law or human life. To them Palestinian civilians are expendable,” she said.
But Thomas-Greenfield also said that the world could not go back to an “untenable” situation in the region. “We must not go back to the status quo where Hamas terrorises Israel and uses Palestinian civilians as human shields. And we must not go back to the status quo where extremist settlers can attack and terrorise Palestinians in the West Bank. The status quo is untenable, and it is unacceptable. This means that when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next,” she said.
By involving the general assembly – as opposed to the divided 15-strong security council – Jordan and other Arab states were trying to engineer a clear public condemnation of Israel, painting its response to the Hamas attack as being in breach of international humanitarian law.
In the past fortnight, the UN security council has four times failed to adopt a collective view without either Russia or the US wielding its veto, leaving the UN in effect muted.
