25 March 2024

The UN Security Council on Monday passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which already began on March 11 and is set to end on April 9.

"We are happy that the council has successfully adopted the much needed resolution to demand the immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages," said Pedro Comissario, Mozambique's envoy to the UN, on behalf of the Elected 10 Group.

The Elected 10 Group, includes Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Switzerland, presented the resolution to the Council.

Urging for immediate and uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, Comissario said, "It is the hope of the 10 that the resolution adopted today will be implemented in good faith by all parties and will help ease the suffering of the population in Gaza."

He also expressed hopes for the resolution to "pave the way for more positive perspectives towards a lasting peace in the Middle East."

As many as 14 countries voted in favor of the resolution, presented by 10 elected members of the Council, while the US abstained from voting. The resolution called for an "immediate cease-fire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire."

It also demanded the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called off an official visit for a top delegation to Washington after the passage of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Netanyahu canceled the delegation's visit after the US abstained from using the veto against the resolution.

A statement by Netanyahu's office said the US decision to allow the resolution to pass is "a clear retreat from the consistent US position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war." The Israeli premier earlier threatened to cancel the delegation’s visit if Washington failed to veto the UN resolution.

The Israeli delegation was scheduled to visit Washington to hear US proposals for expanded humanitarian aid in Gaza, as well as alternatives to Israel's planned ground attack in Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.

The visit was announced following a phone conversation between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden last week.

Palestine's UN envoy, Riyad Mansour, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, called the adoption of resolution a "historic day," and said it is a "significant step" towards ending the aggression against Palestinians.

"I believe the cease-fire will open the door for the implementation of that second objective," Mansour said.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Monday welcomed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. “We underline the necessity of reaching a permanent cease-fire that leads to the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza and the return of the displaced to their homes,” the group said in a statement.

It called on the UN Security Council to pile pressure on Israel to abide by the cease-fire and “stop its genocidal war and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people.” Hamas said it is ready to engage in an immediate swap operation that would lead to the release of all prisoners on both sides.

“Any agreement must guarantee the freedom of movement of Palestinians and the entry of all humanitarian needs for all residents in Gaza,” it added.

Barbara Woodward, UK's envoy to the UN, also commented on the resolution at a short briefing and called for the resolution to be implemented immediately.

"This resolution needs to be implemented immediately. I said that in my explanation of vote. It sends a clear Council message, a united Council message, and we expect all Council resolutions to be implemented. This one is not any different. The demands in the resolution are absolutely clear," she noted.

Canada welcomed on Monday a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.

Asked about the resolution, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, at a press conference, said, "This (resolution) has been our positions since December. And we've clearly stated that the violence must stop and this ceasefire must be linked to hostages being released, Hamas laying down its weapons and also making sure that humanitarian aid can reach Gaza."

Joly further conveyed hopes that the resolution "will be sending a clear message to all parties involved."

Asked about a possible Israeli operation to Rafah, she emphasized Canada's deep apprehension regarding such a possibility in Rafah.

Underscoring the dire situation in Gaza, Joly said "we know that Gaza is one of the most catastrophic place to live on earth right now," adding that there are over a million Palestinian civilians residing in Rafah.

"A military operation would be devastating because these people have nowhere else to go," she added.

President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, has called on the international community to break diplomatic relations with Israel if it fails to comply with the cease-fire resolution on Gaza that was adopted on Monday by the UN Security Council.

"Finally, a ceasefire resolution in Gaza comes out of the United Nations Council unanimously," Petro published on his X account after the UN vote. "I invite the nations of the world to sever diplomatic relations if Israel breaks the ceasefire."

To alleviate suffering in Gaza and ensure a lasting cease-fire, implementation of the just-passed UN Security Council’s “overdue resolution” is critical, said Amnesty International on Monday.

“This resolution is long overdue, but in order to truly relieve the toll on civilians and address the mass devastation and suffering in Gaza, it is vital that it is implemented immediately and leads to an enduring ceasefire,” said Agnes Callamard, the group’s secretary general, in a statement.

Stressing that “there's not a moment to waste,” Callamard urged Israel to stop its "brutal bombing campaign in Gaza" and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

“Israel and Hamas and other armed groups must also work to ensure that the ceasefire is durable,” she added on the resolution, which calls for a cease-fire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends on April 9.

She also urged the two parties to urgently free hostages including “all Palestinians arbitrarily held in Israeli prisons, civilians from Gaza.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed regret over Israel's decision to obstruct the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) from delivering vital aid to Gaza, said deputy spokesperson on Monday.

Türkiye on Monday welcomes the UN Security Council’s passage of a resolution for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, said the country’s Foreign Ministry.

“We consider the UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza for the month of Ramadan and humanitarian access to Gaza to be a positive step,” said ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli in a statement. Ramadan ends on or around April 9, but there are hopes any cease-fire may extend beyond then.

Keceli added that Türkiye hopes that Israel will promptly adhere to the stipulations in the resolution.

“We call on the international community to take a united stand against Israel to end the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and to find a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he concluded.

"The Secretary-General regrets the decision by Israel to deny the UN Relief and Works Agency from delivering life-saving aid to the north of Gaza, where seven out of every 10 people are already on the brink of famine," UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said during a press briefing.

Calling for the immediate reversal of the decision, Guterres emphasized the critical importance of humanitarian aid in alleviating suffering in the region.

"The Secretary-General underscores that UNRWA is and will remain the beating heart of aid delivery in Gaza, providing people in need with food, shelter and protection," Haq noted.

Ahmad Al-Ashqar, a professor of Public Law at the Arab American University, said however that the importance of the resolution lies in the fact that it "puts Israel in an embarrassing position and may expose it to sanctions by countries."

He said the resolution did not include an obligatory format but calls for a cease-fire within a limited period during the month of Ramadan, leading to a permanent cease-fire.

Al-Ashqar noted that the resolution would have an implementing format if it was based on the seventh chapter of the UN Charter, which stipulates the use of force against a state that does not abide by a resolution. He suggested that the resolution was drafted based on the sixth chapter, which has no implementing format, under a US request. Otherwise, it may take it down by a veto.

"The resolution is important and establishes for a cease-fire," he said, adding that countries may impose sanctions on Israel if it does not abide by it, but not sanctions or military measures by the Security Council.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

More than 32,333 Palestinians have since been killed and over 74,694 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war, now in its 171st day, has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.