UN votes overwhelmingly to demand Gaza ceasefire, hostage release and aid access

UNITED NATIONS — 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 United States and close ally Israel opposed the resolution, along with Argentina, Hungary, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea and six Pacific island nations.

The resolution, drafted by Spain, ''strongly condemns any use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare.''

Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon spoke vehemently against the resolution, especially for failing to condemn Hamas for its attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. He denied that Israel was using starvation as a weapon of war, calling the accusation a ''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.

The Palestinian U.N. ambassador, Riyad Mansour, pleaded with U.N. members to approve the resolution.

''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.

The Palestinians and their supporters went to the General Assembly after the U.N. Security Council failed to pass a resolution last week demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and calling on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid. The United States scuttled the resolution with its veto because it was not linked to the release of the hostages, while all 14 other members of the council voted in favor. It was the fifth time the U.S. had vetoed a resolution calling for a halt to the fighting.

General Assembly President Philemon Yang said in opening Thursday's meeting that the world body once again was being called on to address ''the unacceptable and catastrophic situation in Gaza'' because the Security Council is paralyzed and unable to fulfil its responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.

There are no vetoes in the assembly. But unlike in the Security Council, its 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 Thursday does not condemn Hamas' attack or say the militant group must disarm and withdraw from Gaza. Both are U.S. demands.

Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea reiterated those demands before Thursday's vote and said 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 and other supplies. The International Court of Justice issued the order in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of acts of genocide, charges Israel strongly denies.

It stresses that Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation under international law to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in need.

The resolution 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.

It supports mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States aimed at implementing a January ceasefire agreement.

In the Oct. 7 attack, the Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages; 53 are still being held, of whom Israel believes 30 are dead. 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.