The long-awaited text calls for urgent pauses and expanded humanitarian corridors in the enclave for “a sufficient number of days” to allow agencies full, rapid, safe and unhindered access, following several previous attempts, now over a month of conflict United Nations partners.
It also calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by the Palestinian resistance, especially children, as well as guarantees of humanitarian access.
Additional provisions call on the parties to refrain from depriving the civilian population of the Gaza Strip of essential services and assistance essential to their survival, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
The project prepared by Malta received 12 votes in favour, no votes against and three abstentions (Russia, United Kingdom and United States).
Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasili Nebenzia, considered the import of humanitarian aid to Gaza essential and called for monitoring of safe corridors and disaster management on the ground.
“Humanitarian pauses cannot replace a ceasefire or ceasefire,” he warned.
For his part, the representative of China, Zhang Jun, regretted the Council’s delay in adopting a stricter solution.
In this sense, the Palestinian ambassador to the organization, Riyad Mansour, assured that the Council “should have heeded the call of the United Nations and all humanitarian organizations on the planet for a humanitarian ceasefire.”
“The General Assembly’s call for an immediate, permanent humanitarian ceasefire and a permanent ceasefire leading to a cessation of hostilities should at least have been taken up,” he stressed.
What is happening will have long-term effects that no one should underestimate, he warned.
Mansour described the current conflict point as “a failure of humanity of frightening proportions.”
The urgency now is to save lives. Stop the killings, stop forced displacements, allow humanitarian entry and guarantee humanitarian access, protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, he acknowledged.
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