For the first time, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, more than 5 months after the Israeli war, as the United States - the main supporter of Tel Aviv - refrained from using its veto this time, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled it. An Israeli delegation visited Washington to protest the latter’s abstention from voting.

The resolution presented by non-permanent members of the Security Council calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, stressing the urgent need to increase aid and demanding the removal of all obstacles to its delivery.

The resolution was adopted with the approval of 14 of the 15 Council members, with the United States abstaining from voting.

The resolution calls for "an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan that is respected by the parties and leads to a stable and sustainable ceasefire."

The text also calls for "the immediate and unlawful release of all hostages and to ensure humanitarian access," and calls on "both parties to comply with their obligations under international law regarding all detained persons."

Algeria's representative to the United Nations, Ammar Ben Jama, said that the adoption of the resolution is a message to the people of Gaza that the international community feels their pain and has not abandoned them.

He continued, saying, "We want Palestine to become a full and sovereign member of the United Nations."

During the same session, the Council failed to adopt an amendment requested by Russia to add the phrase “permanent ceasefire.”

Israeli anger

In response to the decision, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said that Benjamin Netanyahu canceled the visit of an Israeli delegation to Washington after it abstained from voting on the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council.

For his part, Strategic Communications Coordinator for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, said that the US abstention from voting on the Security Council resolution “does not represent a shift in our policy,” explaining, “We did not vote in favor of the resolution and merely abstained from voting because the final version does not include condemning Hamas.”

Kirby added, "If the Israelis decide not to come to Washington because of the Security Council vote, we will continue to communicate with them to communicate our views."

The White House said that the Israeli government's decision not to send a delegation to Washington to exchange views on the planned operation in Rafah was "disappointing."

On the other hand, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) welcomed the Security Council's decision, and called on the Council to pressure the occupation "to adhere to the ceasefire and stop the war of genocide and ethnic cleansing against our people."

The movement stressed the need to reach a permanent ceasefire that would lead to the withdrawal of all occupation forces and the return of the displaced. It also confirmed its readiness to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that would lead to the release of prisoners on both sides.

Israel has been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip for more than 5 months, leaving tens of thousands of martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, amid warnings from international organizations of famine - especially in the northern Gaza Strip - as a result of the occupation restricting the entry of aid.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry welcomes the Security Council’s resolution on Gaza

On Monday, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the Security Council resolution that called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the month of Ramadan, and said it must be “permanent and sustainable.”

The ministry added in a statement, "Adopting an immediate ceasefire decision is a step in the right direction to stop the aggression completely and sustainably."

It explained that "the international consensus on stopping the aggression against the Palestinian people, introducing aid, and preventing forced displacement must be accompanied by practical steps and consequences for Israel."

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies