China and Russia vetoed a resolution on Friday that demanded “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza to safeguard civilians and enable the delivery of humanitarian aid to over two million hungry Palestinians. The United States sponsored the resolution.
Prior to the vote, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia stated that Moscow is in favor of an immediate cease-fire, but he questioned the resolution’s wording and charged U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Secretary of State Antony Blinken with “misleading the international community” for “politicized” reasons.
A cease-fire is “imperative,” according to the resolution.
The previous draft contained a reference to the release of hostages taken during Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, but it was not explicitly mentioned in the version that was put to a vote. However, it clearly endorsed diplomatic initiatives aimed at “securing such a cease-fire in connection with the release of all remaining hostages.”
A cease-fire was not called for in any of the two resolutions the Security Council had already adopted regarding the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
China and Russia vetoed a resolution sponsored by the United States that demanded a halt to hostilities in order to deliver aid, protect civilians, and cease arming Hamas in late October. They said it did not represent appeals for a cease-fire made around the world.
The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has vetoed three resolutions calling for a cease-fire. The most recent resolution was supported by the Arabs and approved by the council on February 20, with 13 votes in favor and 1 against.
Prior to Friday’s vote, a competing resolution that was circulating in the United States underwent significant modifications during the negotiation process. The previous draft had supported international efforts for a cease-fire as part of a hostage deal, and it had originally supported a temporary cease-fire linked to the release of all hostages.
The vote was held while Blinken, the United States’ top diplomat, was traveling to the Middle East on his sixth urgent mission since the Israel-Hamas war. He was there to discuss post-war scenarios and possible agreements for a cease-fire and hostage release.
The resolution presents “an opportunity for the Council to speak with one voice to support the diplomacy happening on the ground and pressure Hamas to accept the deal on the table,” according to Nate Evans, a spokesman for the United States Mission to the UN.
A humanitarian cease-fire for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which started on March 10, is to be “respected by all parties leading to a permanent, sustainable cease-fire,” according to the resolution drafted by the Security Council’s ten elected members.
It also highlights the pressing need to safeguard civilians and provide humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip, calling for “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
The war began on October 7, when Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping 250 more. Hamas is believed to be holding the bodies of thirty more people in addition to approximately one hundred hostages.
The number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza increased to almost 32,000 on Thursday, according to the Health Ministry. It doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
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This week, the body that oversees the assessment of hunger crises across the globe issued a warning, stating that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza, where 70% of the population is suffering from severe starvation. Half of Gaza’s population that lives above the poverty line could be forced to fend for themselves if the war escalates, according to a report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative, or IPC.
According to the U.S. draft, there is “deep concern about the number of undernourished people, as well as the threat of conflict-induced famine and epidemics currently facing the civilian population in Gaza, and also that hunger in Gaza has reached catastrophic levels.”
In addition to removing all obstacles to providing aid to civilians “at scale,” it underlined “the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to civilians in the entire Gaza Strip.”
Even its closest allies are putting increasing pressure on Israel to facilitate aid entry into the Gaza Strip, open additional land crossings, and reach a cease-fire. However, the military operation will be moved to the southern city of Rafah, where about 1.3 million displaced Palestinians have sought refuge, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow. Netanyahu claims that it is a bastion for Hamas.
Something stating that Israel’s offensive in Rafah “should not proceed under current circumstances” was removed from the first draft into the final U.S. draft. In an opening paragraph, the council expressed its apprehension that a ground invasion into Rafah “would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement, potentially into neighboring countries, and would have serious implications for regional peace and security.”.
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