After last US veto, UN to vote to demand immediate Gaza ceasefire
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The UN General Assembly's vote demands an immediate and permanent ceasefire, aid access, and Israeli withdrawal.
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Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian for burial after the person was killed in an Israeli military airstrike that hit a UN school in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, on May 12, 2025. (AP)
The United Nations General Assembly is set to vote on Thursday on a draft resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, following the United States’ veto of a similar resolution in the UN Security Council last week.
Diplomats anticipate overwhelming support for the measure from the 193-member body, despite lobbying efforts by "Israel" to dissuade countries from participating in what it called a "politically-motivated, counter-productive charade."
While General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they carry significant weight as reflections of the international community’s stance. Previous General Assembly resolutions demanding a ceasefire in Gaza have garnered strong global backing but have not halted the violence.
The vote comes ahead of a UN conference next week aimed at reviving momentum for a "two-state solution", while the United States urges countries to avoid attending, issuing warnings that nations taking "anti-Israel actions" in connection with the conference would be viewed as opposing US foreign policy and could face diplomatic repercussions.
Last week, Washington vetoed a Security Council resolution calling for the same ceasefire terms, claiming it would undermine US-led efforts to broker an agreement. The draft had been supported by the other 14 members of the Council amid worsening humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, where over 2 million Palestinians remain under siege.
Draft condemns starvation tactics, demands Israeli withdrawal
The General Assembly’s draft resolution calls for the immediate release of captives held by the Palestinian Resistance, the return of Palestinians detained by "Israel", and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
It also demands unrestricted humanitarian aid access and strongly condemns the use of starvation as a method of warfare, while citing the unlawful denial of vital supplies and the willful obstruction of humanitarian relief efforts as violations of international law.
'Israel' calls resolution 'immensely flawed and harmful'
"Israel’s" UN Ambassador Danny Danon criticized the resolution in a letter sent to member states on Tuesday, calling the text "immensely flawed and harmful." Danon urged countries not to participate in what he described as a "farce", arguing that it undermines captive negotiations and fails to explicitly condemn Hamas.
He described the accusations of deliberately depriving civilians of essential supplies as "false and defamatory."
The General Assembly has already passed several resolutions calling for an end to the war.
In October 2023, 120 countries voted in favor of a ceasefire agreement. By December, that support had grown, with 153 countries backing a call for a ceasefire, and later, 158 voting in favor of an immediate, unconditional, and permanent halt to hostilities.
The current vote comes amid one of the deadliest military campaigns in modern history. According to Gaza’s health authorities, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been martyred since October 7, 2023, with thousands of bodies still trapped beneath rubble. The vast majority of the casualties are civilians.
