UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. member nations voted overwhelmingly Thursday to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, and unrestricted access for the delivery of desperately needed food to 2 million Palestinians.
The vote in the 193-member General Assembly was 149-12 with 19 abstentions. It was adopted with a burst of applause.
The resolution, drafted by Spain, “strongly condemns any use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.”
Speaking before the vote, Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon vehemently opposed the resolution. He denied that Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war, calling the accusation “blood libel,” and insisted that aid is being delivered.
Experts and human rights workers say hunger is widespread in Gaza and some 2 million Palestinians are at risk of famine if Israel does not fully lift its blockade and halt its military campaign, which it renewed in March after ending a ceasefire with Hamas.
At the start of Thursday's meeting, Spain’s U.N. Ambassador Héctor José Gómez Hernández urged members to vote in favor of the resolution in light of “the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
The Palestinian U.N. ambassador, Riyad Mansour, also pleaded with U.N. members to vote in favor.
“The actions you take today to stop the killing, displacement and the famine will determine how many more Palestinian children die a horrible death,” he said.
Last week, the U.N. Security Council failed to pass a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and calling on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid. The United States vetoed the resolution because it was not linked to the release of the hostages, while all 14 other members of the council voted in favor.
There are no vetoes in the 193-member General Assembly. But unlike in the Security Council, assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they are seen as a barometer of world opinion.
After a 10-week blockade that barred all aid to Gaza, Israel is allowing the United Nations to deliver a trickle of food assistance and is backing a newly created U.S. aid group, which has opened several sites in the center and south of the territory to deliver food parcels.
But the aid system rolled out last month by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been troubled by near-daily shootings as crowds make their way to aid sites, while the longstanding U.N.-run system has struggled to deliver food because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order.
Like the failed Security Council resolution, the resolution passed on Thursday does not condemn Hamas’ deadly attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war, or say the militant group must disarm and withdraw from Gaza. Both are U.S. demands.
Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea told the assembly before the vote that the resolution “sends an unacceptable message to Hamas and other Iran-backed terrorist proxies, and that message is, you will be rewarded for taking hostages, diverting aid and launching attacks from civilian areas.”
The resolution references a March 28 legally binding order by the top United Nations court for Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza for food, water, fuel and other supplies. The International Court of Justice issued the order in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of acts of genocide in its war in Gaza, charges Israel strongly denies.
The resolution stresses that Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation under international law to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in need.
It reiterates the assembly's commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with the Gaza Strip as part of a Palestinian state. The assembly is holding a high-level meeting next week to push for a two-state solution, which Israel has rejected.
The resolution supports mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States aimed at implementing a January ceasefire agreement.
The Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages. About 55 hostages are still being held. Israel’s military campaign has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It says women and children make up most of the dead, but doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed more than 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press
