The United Nations Security Council has approved a toned-down bid to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza and called for urgent steps “to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities” after a week of vote delays and intense negotiations to avoid a veto by the United States.
Amid global outrage over a rising Gaza death toll in 11 weeks of war between Israel and Hamas and a worsening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, the US abstained to allow the 15-member council to adopt a resolution drafted by the United Arab Emirates.
The remaining council members voted for the resolution except for Russia which also abstained.
It comes after Israeli signalled that it was widening its ground offensive in Gaza.
Following high-level negotiations to win over the US, the resolution no longer dilutes Israel’s control over all aid deliveries to 2.3 million people in Gaza.
Israel monitors the limited aid deliveries to Gaza via the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing.
Before the UN vote, Israel said 5,405 aid trucks – carrying food, water and medical supplies – have entered Gaza since the start of the war. Aid groups say only a fraction of what is needed is coming in. A report by a UN-backed body yesterday said the risk of famine is growing every day in Gaza.
However, a weakening of language on a cessation of hostilities frustrated several council members – including veto power Russia – and Arab and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation states, some of which, diplomats said, view it as approval for Israel to further act against Hamas for a deadly 7 October attack.
The adopted resolution “calls for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”
The initial draft had called for “an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities” to allow aid access.
The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said after the vote that the way Israel is conducting its military operation in Gaza is “creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid” inside the Palestinian enclave.
He also urged “Israeli authorities to lift restrictions on commercial activity immediately.”
However, Israel’s Ambassador to the UN criticised the Security Council for its response to the Hamas attack following the vote.
“The UN’s focus only on aid mechanisms to Gaza is unnecessary and disconnected from reality – Israel is already allowing aid deliveries at the required scale,” said Gilad Erdan. “The UN should have focused on the humanitarian crisis of the hostages.”
The Palestinian representative to the UN called the resolution “a step in the right direction”, but reiterated calls for an immediate ceasefire.
“This resolution is a step in the right direction – it must be implemented and must be accompanied by massive pressure for an immediate ceasefire. I repeat, immediate ceasefire,” said Riyad Mansour.
Before the vote, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council that “by signing off on this, the council would essentially be giving the Israeli armed forces complete freedom of movement for further clearing of the Gaza Strip.”
Russia proposed the draft be amended to revert to the initial text calling for “an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities.” The amendment was vetoed by the US. It received 10 votes in favour, while four members abstained.
Earlier this month the 193-member UN General Assembly demanded a humanitarian ceasefire, with 153 states voting in favour of the move that had been vetoed by the US in the Security Council days earlier.
The US and Israel oppose a ceasefire, claiming it would only benefit Hamas. Washington instead supports pauses in fighting to protect civilians and free hostages taken by Hamas.
Aid monitoring
Last month the US abstained to allow the Security Council to call for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses in fighting for a “sufficient number of days” to allow aid access. The move came after four unsuccessful attempts to take action.
The US traditionally protects its ally Israel from UN action and has already twice vetoed Security Council action since the 7 October attack by Hamas militants in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and around 240 people taken hostage.
Israel has retaliated against Hamas by bombarding Gaza from the air, imposing a siege and launching a ground offensive. Some 20,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly civilians, according to health officials in Gaza.
Most people in Gaza have been driven from their homes and UN officials have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe. The World Food Programme says half of Gaza’s population is starving and only 10% of the food required has entered Gaza since 7 October.
A key sticking point during negotiations on the resolution adopted today had been an initial proposal for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to establish a mechanism in Gaza to monitor aid from countries not party to the war.
A toned-down compromise was reached to instead ask Mr Guterres to appoint a senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator to establish a UN mechanism for accelerating aid to Gaza through states that are not party to the conflict.
The coordinator would also have responsibility “for facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying in Gaza, as appropriate, the humanitarian nature” of all the aid.
The council also called for the warring parties “to adhere to international humanitarian law and … deplores all attacks against civilians and civilian objects, as well as all violence and hostilities against civilians, and all acts of terrorism.”
