UN General Assembly to vote on urgent Gaza ceasefire resolution
The UN General Assembly is poised to vote on Tuesday for a resolution that lacks mandatory force but calls for an "immediate cessation of humanitarian fire" in Gaza—a plea the paralyzed Security Council has failed to make so far, reports News.ro.
Humanitarian agencies report worsening famine among besieged Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as the UN General Assembly prepares to vote for an immediate ceasefire in the two-month conflict between Israel and Hamas on Tuesday. Hundreds more civilians have perished in Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip since the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution on Friday, demanding a ceasefire.
On Friday, the United States, one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, exercised its veto power to halt a draft text calling for a ceasefire, marking the latest deadlock. It took the Council over a month since the onset of the war between Israel and Hamas to speak with a weak unified voice, requesting "humanitarian pauses" in the conflict by mid-November, after four texts were rejected.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of the imminent "complete collapse of public order" in the besieged Gaza Strip. Many countries and human rights organisations deplored the Security Council's failure last Friday, with Guterres describing the Council's authority and credibility as "undermined" on Sunday.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
