UN Security Council passes resolution calling for immediate ceasefire and release of hostages

The United Nations Security Council approved a resolution on Monday calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the immediate release of all 134 hostages in Gaza. 

The resolution “demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a sustainable lasting ceasefire, and also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”

The resolution also demands humanitarian access to address medical and other humanitarian needs in Gaza , and that the parties “comply with their obligations under international law in relation to all persons they detain.”

“Certain key edits were ignored, including our request to add a condemnation of Hamas. We did not agree on everything in the resolution. For that reason, we were not able to vote ‘yes.’ But we fully support some of the critical objectives in this non-binding resolution and we believe it was important for the council to speak out and make clear that any cease-fire must come with the release of hostages,” U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a statement following the vote, saying he was cancelling an Israeli delegation’s visit to Washington to discuss alternatives to a Rafah ground operation.

“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,” he said.

“Regrettably, the U.S. did not veto the new resolution, which calls for a ceasefire that is not contingent on the release of hostages. This constitutes a clear departure from the consistent U.S. position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war. Today’s resolution gives Hamas hope that international pressure will force Israel to accept a ceasefire without the release of our hostages, thus harming both the war effort and the effort to release the hostages,” he added.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby denied any change in U.S. policy, saying: “Our vote does not represent a shift in our policy. There’s no reason for this to be seen as some sort of escalation…The reason we abstained is because this resolution text did not condemn Hamas.”

Monday’s vote marks the first time the security council agreed on a resolution, with four previous failed attempts.

The resolution is legally binding but its unlikely to change facts on the grounds, as neither Israel nor Hamas are expected to abide by it.