The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on Monday 25 March calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The resolution, which calls for a ceasefire during the month of Ramadan (two weeks of which are remaining), was welcomed by Egypt. The resolution also calls for calls for a lasting and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza beyond the month of Ramadan and the release of all captives held in Gaza by Hamas and other groups.
“The Arab Republic of Egypt welcomes the Security Council’s adoption of a resolution demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the month of Ramadan – for the first time since the beginning of the crisis and following the Security Council’s repeated inability to reach a resolution demanding a permanent ceasefire,” said a statement by Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which added that Egypt “calls for the immediate implementation of the ceasefire”.
The UN Security Council passed the resolution after it was approved by 14 votes to none. The United States abstained from the vote in what has been criticized by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “clear retreat” from the US’ policy on Israel.
“The United States has abandoned its policy in the UN today. Just a few days ago, it supported a Security Council resolution that linked a call for a ceasefire to the release of hostages…China and Russia vetoed that resolution partly because they opposed a ceasefire that was linked to the release of hostages. Yet today, Russia and China joined Algeria and others in supporting the new resolution precisely because it had no such linkage,” said the Israeli Prime Minister in a statement following the adoption of the resolution.
In response to the US’ abstention, Israel cancelled a planned visit by Israeli officials to Washington, but said that a visit by the Israeli Defense Minister, who is already in US, would go ahead.
Meanwhile, Palestine’s representative to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said that action by the United Nations Security Council has been long overdue.
“It has taken six months, over 100,000 Palestinians killed and maimed, two million displaced, and famine, for this council to finally demand an immediate ceasefire,” said Mansour following the resolution’s adoption.
“The Palestinians in Gaza pleaded and appealed, shouted, cried, cursed, prayed, defied the odds to survive time and time again. And yet continued to face death, destruction and displacement, depravation and disease. And an occupation-made famine. Their ordeal must come to an end, and it must come to an immediate end now.”
The United States previously vetoed three resolutions calling for a ceasefire since the war on Gaza commenced on 7 October 2024. More than 30,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed by Israel, with tens of thousands of others injured or missing under the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes.