UN General Assembly set to demand Gaza ceasefire

Children walk along a street in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Dec. 12, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

• The development comes as health authorities in Gaza say that death toll from the Israeli offensive has crossed 18,000
• General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry political weight and reflect global views on war in Gaza Strip

UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly appeared set to demand on Tuesday an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in the two-month long conflict between Israel and Hamas after the United States vetoed such a move in the Security Council.
No country has a veto power in the 193-member General Assembly, which is due to vote on a draft resolution that mirrors the language of one that was blocked by the United States in the 15-member Security Council last week.
General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry political weight and reflect global views on the war in the Gaza Strip, as health authorities in the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave say the death toll from Israel’s offensive had passed 18,000.
The assembly vote comes a day after 12 Security Council envoys visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing, the only place where limited humanitarian aid and fuel deliveries have crossed into Gaza. The United States did not send a representative on the trip.
“With each step, the US looks more isolated from the mainstream of UN opinion,” said Richard Gowan, UN director at the International Crisis Group.
The United States and Israel oppose a cease-fire because they believe it would only benefit Hamas. Washington instead supports pauses in fighting to protect civilians and allow the release of hostages taken by Palestinian militants in a deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
In October the General Assembly called for “an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” in a resolution adopted with 121 votes in favor, 14 against — including the US — and 44 abstentions.
Some diplomats and observers predict the vote on Tuesday will garner greater support. A two-thirds majority is needed.
“The dynamics are different to those in October. The length and intensity of Israel’s operations in Gaza have left many UN members convinced that a cease-fire is essential,” Gowan said.
Israel has bombarded Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and launched a ground offensive in retaliation for an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that Israel says killed 1,200 people and saw 240 people taken hostage.
In October, Canada put forward an amendment to reject and condemn the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, but it failed to get the two-thirds majority needed. Diplomats said the United States plans to put forward a similar amendment on Tuesday.
The draft General Assembly resolution to be voted on Tuesday also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and that the warring parties comply with international law, specifically with regard to the protection of civilians.
Most of the 2.3 million people in Gaza have been driven from their homes and the United Nations has given dire warnings about the humanitarian situation in the coastal enclave, saying that hundreds of thousands of people are starving.