March 23, 2024- Aljazeera
- Leaders worldwide have welcomed a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, while the UN chief Guterres says it must be implemented.
- The UN Security Council for the first time passes a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Fourteen countries voted in favour of the resolution; the US, Israel’s main ally, abstained.
- A report by the UN rapporteur on Palestine says there are “reasonable grounds” to believe the threshold has been met for genocidal acts by Israel in Gaza.
- Israeli air attacks kill at least 22 Palestinians in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah region and 30 in Rafah in the south.
- At least 32,333 Palestinians have been killed and 74,694 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139, with dozens still held captive
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Follow this page as we provide round-the-clock updates on the latest developments on the 171st day of the war in Gaza.
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WATCH: Countries cheer as UN Security Council adopts Gaza resolution
The United Nations Security Council has approved a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all captives.
The United States abstained from the vote.
The remaining 14 council members voted for the resolution.
In a rare break of decorum, the chamber erupted into applause as the resolution was adopted.
Washington, DC – On three separate occasions, the United States has used its veto power to scuttle United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions aimed at bringing a ceasefire to war-torn Gaza.
That streak ended on Monday, when the administration of President Joe Biden decided not to veto the latest ceasefire resolution, allowing it to pass by abstaining from the vote instead.
The US move garnered widespread attention as a sign of Biden’s growing frustration with Israeli leadership, which is pressing on with its deadly military campaign in Gaza.
But Palestinian rights advocates argue that what is needed is a fundamental rethinking in Washington’s support for Israel — beyond symbolism and rhetoric.
“It’s a shift. However, it hasn’t stopped arms transfers from being made. And that’s ultimately what really matters,” said Adam Shapiro, a political analyst
Washington played down the resolution as “non-binding”, but the change in stance was enough to prompt a fiery response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who lashed out at the US for failing to block the motion.
His office issued a statement accusing Washington of harming Israel’s war efforts, underscoring the growing tensions with Biden
‘A dance’ between leaders
Advocates say the question is now whether the Biden administration will use its leverage to pressure Israel to end its abuses against Palestinians in Gaza
Biden officials have urged the Israeli government to protect civilians and allow more aid to Gaza, but they have so far declined to place conditions on aid to Israel to further those goals.
Tariq Kenney-Shawa, a US policy fellow at Al-Shabaka, a Palestinian think tank, said the true test of where the US stands is whether it will grant the “wish list” of arms Israel is expected to ask for.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant is on a visit to Washington, DC, and US and Israeli media outlets have reported that he will request specific weapons for the ongoing war.
“The policy of providing Israel and Netanyahu in particular with all the tools he needs to continue the assault on Gaza has continued uninterrupted since October,” Kenney-Shawa said in an email to Al Jazeera
UN Security Council demands immediate Gaza ceasefire as US abstains
UNSC calls for a ‘lasting, sustainable ceasefire’ in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza and the release of all captives.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) demands an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages as the United States abstains from the vote.
The remaining 14 council members voted in favour of the resolution, which was proposed by the 10 elected members of the council. There was a round of applause in the council chamber after the vote on Monday
The resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends in two weeks, and also demands the release of all hostages seized in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7.
“The bloodbath has continued for far too long,” said Amar Bendjama, the ambassador from Algeria, the Arab bloc’s current Security Council member and a sponsor of the resolution. “Finally, the Security Council is shouldering its responsibility
The US had repeatedly blocked Security Council resolutions that put pressure on Israel but has increasingly shown frustration with its ally as civilian casualties mount and the UN warns of impending famine in Gaza.
Speaking after the vote, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield blamed Hamas for the delay in passing a ceasefire resolution.
“We did not agree with everything with the resolution,” which she said was the reason why the US abstained
Certain key edits were ignored, including our request to add a condemnation of Hamas,” Thomas-Greenfield said. She stressed that the release of Israeli captives would lead to an increase in humanitarian aid supplies going into the besieged coastal enclave.
The White House said the final resolution did not have language the US considers essential and its abstention does not represent a shift in policy.
The White House said the final resolution did not have language the US considers essential and its abstention does not represent a shift in policy.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the US failure to veto the resolution is a “clear retreat” from its previous position and would hurt war efforts against Hamas as well as efforts to release Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Last week, Netanyahu promised to defy US appeals and expand Israel’s military campaign to Rafah even without its ally’s support.
‘Crisis not over’
Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bays said the vote is still a “very, very significant” development.
“After almost six months, … the vote, almost unanimous,” has demanded a lasting and immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
“The US has used its veto three times,” Bays said. “This time, the US let this pass.”
“Resolutions of the Security Council are international law. They are always seen as binding on all the member states of the United Nations,” he added.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a post on X that the resolution “must be implemented”, adding that “failure would be unforgivable”.
The vote came amid international calls to bring the nearly six-month-long conflict to an end as Israeli forces pummel Gaza and humanitarian conditions in the besieged strip reach critical levels.
More than 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, and conditions under Israeli siege and bombardment have pushed Gaza to the brink of famine, the UN said
More than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli assault since October 7, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after Hamas led an attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and seizing about 250 others as hostages, according to Israeli tallies