The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Monday, March 25, demanding an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, after the United States withheld its veto and abstained from the vote. It was the first time that the Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza since the start of the war in October.

The resolution “demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire, and also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” referring to the Muslim holy month that ends in roughly two weeks anyway.

The vote of the United Nations Security Council meeting demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, at the UN headquarters in New York on March 25, 2024 (Photo: UN)

The resolution’s cosponsors — Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Switzerland — sought to include the phrase “permanent sustainable ceasefire” into the resolution, but the US rejected the term and the final text uses the phrase “lasting sustainable ceasefire.”

Resolution 2728 is to be non-binding and is not expected to have an immediate impact on the ongoing fighting in Gaza, However, it does mark a symbolic blow to Israel’s far-right government’s international standing nearly six months since the Israeli attack in Gaza and Hamas’s October 7 onslaught and appeared to highlight a new low in ties between the US and Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced afterward that he was canceling plans to send a delegation to Washington at the administration’s request to discuss a potential deadly ground invasion in Rafah.

According Hadash, “The UN Security Council’s resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire leading to a lasting ceasefire and the release of the hostages is an important move by the international community stating that the war of destruction in Gaza must end. The Israeli government must respect the international consensus and work for an immediate deal that will bring an end to the war. It must promote a diplomatic resolution based on previous UN positions – namely, ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state. We know that Israel’s extreme-right-wing government will not promote such a prospect and will continue to clash with the international position. We must, therefore, bring down this government and create a real alternative.”

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=31657