The United Nations General Assembly held an emergency session on the Middle East and adopted a resolution, proposed by Jordan on behalf of a group of Arab countries in collaboration with others, urging the protection of civilians in Gaza and establishing a humanitarian ceasefire.
The resolution calls for an "immediate, durable, and continuous humanitarian truce with subsequent cessation of hostilities." It also demands the repeal of Israel's order, as an occupying power, to evacuate Palestinian civilians, UN personnel, and humanitarian and medical workers from all areas in the Gaza Strip to the north of Wadi Gaza to the southern part of Gaza.
A total of 120 countries, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Russia, supported the resolution. Turkmenistan abstained from voting, while 14 countries, including Israel, the United States, Austria, Croatia, and Hungary, voted against it. Forty-five countries, including Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Germany, abstained.
Canada proposed an additional paragraph to the resolution, condemning the terrorist acts of HAMAS in Israel since October 7, 2023, and calling for the immediate release of hostages without any conditions. Eighty-eight countries supported this amendment, 53 delegations opposed it, and 22 abstained. Uzbekistan did not cast a vote, while Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan voted against it, resulting in the amendment not passing.
In response to requests from several countries, including Russia, and considering the conflict between Israel and HAMAS, the President of the United Nations General Assembly decided to reconvene the 10th Emergency Special Session of the UN on the Middle East. Over 100 delegations are expected to participate.
The President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, emphasized the immediate need to halt the violence. He called for an unconditional ceasefire for humanitarian reasons and the establishment of humanitarian corridors for aid delivery.
Dennis Francis strongly condemned HAMAS attacks on Israel since October 7, stating, "The cruelty of HAMAS's attacks is shocking and unacceptable; there should be no place for such cruelty in our world." He also condemned indiscriminate shelling in Gaza, affecting civilians in the region and causing significant damage to critical civilian infrastructure.
Riyad Mansur, Permanent Observer from the State of Palestine to the UN, called for an end to the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza. He warned of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe and the danger of destabilizing the situation in the region.
Israel's Permanent Representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan, stated that "the massacre carried out by HAMAS in Israel and the subsequent Israeli operation have nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." According to him, "HAMAS terrorists have no concern for the Palestinian people, peace, or dialogue. Their sole mission is the complete destruction of Israel and the killing of all Jews on the planet," as cited by the UN press service.
Erdan referred to the draft General Assembly resolution as a "shame" because it does not mention HAMAS's attack on Israel at all.
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