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Gaza war: UN Security Council approves resolution for immediate ceasefire during Ramadan

By Mwangi Maina | Monday, March 25, 2024

The US is the only country that abstained from voting and did not veto the resolution as it has done in the past.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday afternoon approved a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in besieged Gaza.

The US is the only country that abstained from voting and did not veto the resolution as it has done in the past.

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The resolution demanded an immediate ceasefire for Ramadan that would lead to a permanent ceasefire, said Mozambique envoy Pedro Comissário Afonso, who introduced the resolution to the council.

It also demands the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli hostages and emphasises that humanitarian access must be given.

The resolution was submitted by Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland.

Earlier on Monday, China said it supported the new draft resolution on the immediate ceasefire after it, alongside Russia, vetoed an earlier text sponsored by Washington.

"China supports this draft resolution and commends Algeria and other Arab countries for their hard work in this regard," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, expressing hope that the UNSC would pass the resolution as soon as possible and send a strong signal for the cessation of hostilities.

Persistent attacks

The war began with an unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023, that resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians. The health ministry in the Gaza Strip put the total death toll in the territory at 32,226 on Sunday, most of them women and children.

The global security body has been divided over the Israel-Hamas war since the initial attacks, approving only two of eight resolutions, both mainly with humanitarian aid to the devastated Gaza Strip.

Washington, Israel's staunchest supporter, has been gradually hardening its tone following its early solid support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war in Gaza.

Previously, the US avoided referring to a ceasefire and vetoed UN resolutions that have called for one, most recently in February.

Meanwhile, UN experts have warned of an imminent famine as a result of the Israeli blockade but Israel has carried on with its offensive.

The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it would launch a new offensive in the Al-Amal neighbourhood, where the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says staff and patients at Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis were forced to evacuate the building last night.

"While attempting to leave through the military checkpoint, the teams encountered difficulty moving due to extensive excavation and infrastructure destruction," PRCS said on X.

"During the attempt to clear the rubble and obstacles on the road, the occupation forces opened fire towards two of the teams trying to remove the rubble, directly injuring them."

The PRCS added that Israeli troops "forced the teams to return to" the hospital later but "they found the hospital gate closed, making it impossible for the teams to re-enter."

"The teams remained waiting on the street until now," the NGO said.