The UN Security Council adopted on Monday, March 25, 2024, a resolution in which it demands an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and underlines the urgent need to “expand the flow” of aid to the Palestinian enclave.
The text presented by the 10 non-permanent members of the Council received 14 votes in favor and one abstention (United States). The five permanent members of the Council are China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and France.
In the resolution, Security Council members expressed “deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip ” and took note of the ongoing diplomatic action by Egypt, the United States, and Qatar, “aiming to achieve a cessation of hostilities, obtain the release of hostages and increase the provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance”.
In this context, the Council resolution adopted on Monday “demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire during the month of Ramadan that is respected by all parties and leads to a lasting ceasefire.”
Removing obstacles to aid delivery
It also “demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and the guarantee of humanitarian access to meet their medical and other humanitarian needs, and further requires the parties to respect their obligations under international law about all the people they detain.”
The members of the Council finally insist ” on the urgent need to extend the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians and to strengthen the protection of civilians throughout the Gaza Strip” and ” renewedly demand the lifting of all obstacles to the provision of large-scale humanitarian assistance.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the adoption of this resolution. “The Security Council has just approved a long-awaited resolution on Gaza, demanding an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. This resolution must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable,” he wrote in a message published on the X platform.
