MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Gaza: UN Security Council passes ceasefire resolution during Ramadan

Guterres said that the resolution must be implemented on the ground and that the Council’s failure to do so “would be unforgivable”

The United Nations (UN) Security Council passed Monday a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, it was reported from New York. It was the first time that none of the superpowers powers holding veto rights chose to exercise it.

The United States abstained while all the other 14 members endorsed the motion. However, the Council rejected a Russia-proposed amendment that would have called for a permanent ceasefire

Hence, the UN Security Council Resolution 2728 calls for the immediate release of hostages and for ensuring humanitarian access to the war-torn zone.

Israel's Ambassador mission before the UN Gilad Erdan condemned the body's decision saying it was “a disgrace” that no condemnation against the terrorist group Hamas had been included while Arab world dignitaries insisted Tel Aviv must be held accountable for its crimes.

Erdan also recalled that the Security Council condemned Friday's attack on a concert hall in Moscow but failed to do the same with Hamas' actions on Oct. 7 at the Nova festival.

“Civilians, no matter where they live, deserve to enjoy music in safety and security, and the Security Council should have the moral clarity to condemn such acts of terror equally, without discrimination,” he said.

“Sadly, today as well, this Council refused to condemn the 7 October massacre; this is a disgrace,” he added.

Erdan insisted that for the past 18 years, Hamas initiated ceaseless attacks against Israelis, launching “thousands and thousands of indiscriminate rockets and missiles against civilians”.

He added that while the resolution failed to condemn Hamas, it did “state something that should have been the driving moral force”.

“This resolution denounces the taking of hostages, recalling that it is in violation of international law,” he said while underscoring that taking innocent civilians hostage was a war crime.

“When it comes to bringing the hostages home, the Security Council must not settle for words alone, but take action, real action,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Palestine's Ambassador Riyad Mansour said it had taken six months, with more than 100,000 Palestinians killed and maimed, to finally demand an immediate ceasefire.

”The Palestinians in Gaza have shouted, cried, cursed, and prayed, defying the odds time and time again. Now, they live with famine, with many buried under the rubble of their own houses,” he said.

“Their ordeal must come to an end, and it must come to an immediate end now,” the Palestinian envoy protested.

He said the rule of international law was being destroyed by Israel’s crimes. Instead of implementing a mandatory order from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Israel has doubled down on its actions.

“This must be a turning point; this must lead to saving lives on the ground. This must signal the end of this assault of atrocities against our people,” noted Mansour, who also claimed that his entire nation was “being murdered.”

He welcomed the resolution and saluted Arab unity in demanding the ceasefire.

United Kingdom Ambassador Barbara Woodward said her country had long been calling for an immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire without a return to destruction, fighting, and loss of life as the fastest way to get hostages out and aid in.

“We regret that this resolution has not condemned the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October,” she also said.

US Ambassador and Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that in adopting the resolution, the Security Council “spoke out in support” of the ongoing diplomatic efforts led by Washington, Qatar, and Egypt to bring about an immediate and sustainable ceasefire, secure the immediate release of all hostages and help alleviate the tremendous suffering of Palestinian civilians in need in Gaza. “The United States fully supports these critical objectives,” she said.

The US “is working around the clock to make them real on the ground, through diplomacy,” she added.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on X that the long-awaited resolution must be implemented and that the Council’s failure to do so “would be unforgivable.”

Following Monday's Security Council resolution, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled his plans to send a delegation to Washington to discuss the Gaza crisis. Netanyahu argued that the US not exercising its veto powers represented a “clear retreat” from its previous position. “In light of the change in the American position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided the delegation would not leave,” his office said in a statement.

Washington denied that the US abstention reflected a change in American policy. “It’s disappointing. We’re very disappointed that they won’t be coming to Washington DC to allow us to have a fulsome conversation with them about viable alternatives to them going in on the ground in Rafah,” White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby stressed. “Nothing has changed about our view that a major ground offensive in Rafah would be a major mistake,” he added.