The United Nations General Assembly meeting took place yesterday at UN headquarters in New York to vote on a non-binding resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
The vote in the 193-member world body was 153 in favor, 10 against, and 23 abstentions. The United States and Israel were joined in opposing the resolution by eight countries — Austria, Czechia, Guatemala, Liberia, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, and Paraguay.
The support for a cease-fire resolution was higher than for an Oct. 27 resolution that called for a “humanitarian truce” leading to a cessation of hostilities, where the vote was 120-14 with 45 abstentions.
After the United States vetoed a resolution in the Security Council on Friday demanding a humanitarian cease-fire, Arab and Islamic nations called for an emergency session of the 193-member General Assembly to vote on a resolution making the same demand.
The resolution expresses “grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population,” and it says Palestinians and Israelis must be protected under international humanitarian law.
One growing sentiment in Tuesday’s vote showed the increasing isolation of the United States and Israel, both of which rejected the ceasefire demands.
The U.S. had proposed an amendment that would have added a paragraph stating that the assembly “unequivocally rejects and condemns the heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas,” but that amendment was voted down.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, World Health Organization Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced sending a mission led by the organization to bring supplies in and evacuate patients from the last partly functioning hospital in northern Gaza was stopped by Israelis.
