UN Security Council for first time demands Gaza ceasefire as US abstains

Drawing unusual applause in the often staid Security Council, all 14 other members voted in favor of the resolution which "demands an immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The resolution calls for the truce to lead to a "lasting, sustainable ceasefire" and demands that Hamas and other militants free hostages seized on October 7.

Russia at the last minute objected to the removal of the word "permanent" ceasefire and called a vote, which failed to gain passage.

The successful resolution was drafted in part by Algeria, the Arab bloc's current member on the Security Council, with a diverse array of countries including Slovenia and Switzerland.

The United States has vetoed previous bids for a ceasefire but has shown growing frustration with Israel, including its stated plans to expand its military operation to the packed southern city of Rafah.

A change in tone toward its Middle Eastern ally was seen Friday, when the United States put forward a resolution to recognize "the imperative" of an "immediate and sustained ceasefire."

But that text was blocked by Russia and China, which along with Arab states criticized it for stopping short of explicitly demanding Israel halt its campaign in Gaza.

The United States had repeatedly blocked ceasefire resolutions as it attempts to walk a line between supporting Israel with military aid and voicing frustration with leader Benjamin Netanyahu as the civilian death toll in the Gaza Strip mounts.

Unlike Friday's text, the call for a ceasefire in the new resolution is not directly linked to ongoing talks, led by Qatar with support from the United States and Egypt, to halt fighting in return for Hamas releasing hostages.

Israel has criticized the Security Council for previous resolutions that have not specifically condemned Hamas.

The October 7 attack by the Palestinian militant group on Israel resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.

The militants also seized 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes around 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 presumed dead.

Israel's military campaign in response to eliminate Hamas has killed more than 32,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The Security Council has been divided over the Israel-Hamas war since the October 7 attacks, only approving two of eight resolutions, which both mainly dealt with humanitarian aid.

And those resolutions seem to have had little effect on the ground, where UN personnel say Israel continues to block aid convoys as experts warn of looming famine.

Israel says US abstention at UN 'hurts' war effort, hostage release

Israel said Monday the US abstention on a Gaza ceasefire call at the United Nations would hurt its fight against Hamas and the effort to release hostages held by militants.

After more than five months of war, the UN Security Council for the first time demanded an "immediate ceasefire" after the United States, Israel's ally which vetoed previous drafts, abstained.

"This is a clear retreat from the consistent position of the United States at the Security Council since the beginning of the war," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.

It added that Netanyahu had cancelled the planned departure of a delegation which was set to leave for consultations in Washington over future military operations in the Gaza Strip.

The UN vote "hurts both the war effort and the effort to release the abductees", Netanyahu's office said in a statement.

"It gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow them to accept a ceasefire without the release of our abductees."

Netanyahu "made it clear last night that if the US withdraws from its principled position, he will not send the Israeli delegation to the US," the statement noted.

"In light of the change in the American position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided that the delegation would not leave," it said.

The UN resolution calls for an immediate truce that would lead to a "lasting, sustainable ceasefire" and demands that Hamas and other militants free hostages seized in their October 7 attack that triggered the war.

US President Joe Biden had asked Netanyahu to send a team for consultations over Israel's plans to launch a full-scale assault on Gaza's Rafah, which Washington opposes.

International fears have grown that a ground offensive in the southernmost tip of Gaza would drastically worsen a heavy civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.

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