UN Security council calls for ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza
Kathmandu, 25 March: The United Nations (UN) Security Council has called for an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages.
“The UN Security Council On Monday passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramdan, the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and “the urgent need to expand the flow” of aid into Gaza”, according to UN News.
Among 15 members in the council, 14 voted in favour of the resolution proposed by the 10 elected members of the body while the United States abstained.
António Guterres Antonio Guterres “The Security Council just approved a long-awaited resolution on Gaza, demanding an immediate ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. This resolution must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable”, reads “X” formerly ‘twitter’ account of Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General.
The US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that while the latest resolution included edits requested by the US, Washington could not vote yes because it “did not agree with everything”, as mentioned CNN.
“For the lives that have already perished, the Council resolution today comes too late,” he said, but for those still living in the Strip, the resolution represents “long awaited hope”, said Zhang Jun, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of China to the UN “All harm to civilians must cease immediately” and the offensive must end.
Mr. Nebenzia, Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN, said that his country voted in favour of the resolution, as it called for an immediate ceasefire “even if it is limited to the month of Ramadan” and urged the Security Council to continue to work on achieving a permanent ceasefire.
The US had previously rejected three ceasefire resolutions.
Likewise, a draft resolution tabled by the United States was vetoed in the UN Security Council on Friday by permanent Council members China and Russia. Russia and China had vetoed a US resolution stating imperative of ‘immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza’.