UN General Assembly adopts resolution calling for humanitarian truce in Gaza

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UNITED NATIONS - The General Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution that calls for a humanitarian truce in Gaza.

The resolution calls for "an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities."

It demands "the immediate, continuous, sufficient and unhindered provision" of essential goods and services to civilians throughout the Gaza Strip, including but not limited to water, food, medical supplies, fuel and electricity.

It urges immediate, full, sustained, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza.

It encourages the establishment of humanitarian corridors and other initiatives to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, and welcomes efforts in this regard.

The resolution demands that all parties immediately and fully comply with their obligations under international law, particularly in regard to the protection of civilians and civilian objects, and enable and facilitate humanitarian access for essential supplies and services to reach all civilians in need in Gaza.

It also calls for the rescinding of the order by Israel for Palestinian civilians and UN staff, as well as humanitarian and medical workers, to evacuate all areas in the Gaza Strip north of the Wadi Gaza and relocate to southern Gaza.

The resolution firmly rejects any attempts at the forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian population.

It calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians who are being illegally held captive, demanding their safety, well-being and humane treatment in compliance with international law.

It also calls for respect and protection, consistent with international humanitarian law, of all civilian and humanitarian facilities, including hospitals and other medical facilities, as well as their means of transport and equipment, schools, places of worship, and UN facilities, as well as all humanitarian and medical personnel and journalists, media professionals and associated personnel, in armed conflict in the region.

It stresses the particularly grave impact that armed conflict has on women and children, as well as on other civilians who may have specific vulnerabilities, including persons with disabilities and older persons.

The resolution stresses the need to urgently establish a mechanism to ensure the protection of the Palestinian civilian population, in accordance with international law and the relevant UN resolutions, and further stresses the importance of a humanitarian notification mechanism to ensure the protection of UN facilities and all humanitarian installations and to ensure the unimpeded movement of aid convoys.

The resolution emphasizes the importance of preventing further destabilization and escalation of violence in the region, and in this regard calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and on all those with influence on them to work toward this objective.

It reaffirms that a just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be achieved by peaceful means, based on the relevant UN resolutions and in accordance with international law, and on the basis of the two-state solution.

The resolution was adopted with 120 votes in favor, 14 votes against, and 45 abstentions.

Apart from Israel and the United States, the following 12 countries voted against the draft resolution: Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Fiji, Guatemala, Hungary, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga.

An amendment to the draft resolution, introduced by Canada, failed to be adopted as it did not win the necessary two-thirds majority of votes.

The Canadian proposal won 88 votes in favor, 55 against, and 23 abstentions.

The amendment would have condemned the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the taking of hostages by Hamas and would have called for the release of hostages.

Pakistani UN ambassador Munir Akram, in his explanation of vote before the vote, said the Jordanian draft, for the purpose of moderation, does not explicitly condemn Israel for its atrocities in Gaza. The Canadian amendment would have made the resolution unbalanced and unjust. He also pointed out that the Jordanian draft contains language for the release of hostages.