Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on Wednesday calling for “the establishment of urgent ceasefires and humanitarian corridors throughout the Gaza Strip and the immediate release of all hostages.”
The decision was made with the support of 12 members, while the United States of America, Russia and the United Kingdom abstained from the vote, according to the UN website.
A diplomatic source told CNN that the resolution was drafted by Malta and had the support of the 22-member Arab group, including the United Arab Emirates, an elected member of the United Nations Security Council.
Interestingly, Malta chairs the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict.
According to the United Nations, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations proposed before the vote to add an oral amendment to the draft resolution calling for “an immediate, permanent and sustainable humanitarian truce leading to the cessation of hostilities.”
The President of the Security Council of the current month, the Chinese ambassador, put the amendment to the vote, 5 members supported the amendment, the United States of America opposed it and 9 members abstained from the vote, therefore the amendment was approved. not adopted because it did not obtain a sufficient number of votes.
This was the fifth attempt by the Council to adopt a draft resolution on the escalation in Gaza since 7 October, and the Council has previously been unable to adopt any of the draft resolutions presented to it, both due to the use of the veto or not. obtaining a sufficient number of votes, according to the United Nations.
The resolution calls for “the establishment of urgent ceasefires and humanitarian corridors for longer periods throughout the Gaza Strip for a sufficient number of days to allow UN humanitarian agencies and their partners to have full, urgent and unhindered access to provide humanitarian assistance and facilitate the provision of important basic goods and services to civilians, particularly children, throughout the Gaza Strip.”
The resolution emphasizes that “these humanitarian truces will allow for urgent repairs to basic infrastructure and urgent rescue and recovery efforts, including for missing children in damaged and destroyed buildings, including the medical evacuation of sick or injured children and health workers.”
The resolution called for “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, especially children, as well as ensuring immediate access to humanitarian aid.”
The resolution called on all parties to “refrain from depriving the civilian population of Gaza of basic services and humanitarian assistance necessary for their survival, in accordance with international humanitarian law, and welcomed the initial process of providing supplies humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip, albeit limited, and called for the provision of such supplies to meet the needs of the civilian population, particularly children.
The resolution calls on all parties to “respect their obligations under international law” and highlights “the importance of humanitarian coordination, notification and conflict prevention mechanisms, to protect all medical and humanitarian personnel, vehicles and humanitarian sites and vital infrastructure, including United Nations facilities and to help facilitate the movement of humanitarian convoys and patients, especially children.” The sick, the injured and their caregivers.
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