‘Implement it’: Clamor as UNSC adopts resolution calling Ramadan ceasefire in Gaza
After the UNSC passed the Ramadan ceasefire resolution in Gaza, pressure is now building up on the UN Apex Body to implement it using all the power in its hand. Read More
United Nations: In a first since Oct 7, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Monday March 25, 2024 adopted a resolution calling for ‘immediate’ ceasefire in Gaza during the Holy Month of Ramadan leading to a clamor to implement it at any cost.
US abstains from voting
The resolution received support from 14 of the total 15 UNSC members with only the United States abstaining from voting.
“The Security Council this morning adopted a resolution demanding “an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire” and also “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages”, the UNSC said in a statement released a little while ago.
“Resolution 2728 (2024) passed by a vote of 14 in favour to none against, with 1 abstention (United States)”, the UNSC added.
The US vetoed three prior attempts to achieve similar resolutions since the war on Gaza began on October 7.
Clamor for implementation
After the UNSC passed the Ramadan ceasefire resolution in Gaza, pressure is now building up on the UN Apex Body to implement it using all the power in its hand.
Demanding the implementation of the UNSC resolution, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, said "failure would be unforgivable".
"The Security Council just approved a long-awaited resolution on Gaza, demanding an immediate ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages", António Guterres wrote on social media platform X, originally launched as Twitter.
"This resolution must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable", the UN Secretary General said.
Calling the UN Security Council resolution long overdue, the Chief of Amnesty International demanded its 'immediate implementation'.
“Israel must immediately halt their brutal bombing of Gaza and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid. Israel, Hamas and other armed groups must ensure the ceasefire is durable. Civilian hostages must be immediately released. As should all Palestinians arbitrarily detained,” Agnes Callamard wrote on social media platform X.
This resolution is long overdue. To truly relieve the toll on civilians and address the mass devastation and suffering in Gaza, it is vital that it is implemented immediately and leads to an enduring ceasefire.
— Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard) March 25, 2024
There is not a moment to waste. https://t.co/uURQTz6RIa
“In recent weeks voting at the UN Security Council has descended into a farcical political game with tragic consequences for civilians,” she said, calling on the international community to prioritise saving lives instead of politics.
Demanding the UNSC resolution's implementation, Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch, said Israel should be sanctioned 'if it does not comply'.
“States should use all forms of leverage – including imposing arms embargo and targeted sanctions on Israel – to press it to comply. The lives of millions of Palestinians hang in the balance", he said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) in a statement also called for immediate implementation of the Gaza ceasefire resolution.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez after the Gaza ceasefire resolution got the UNSC nod said it is “imperative that the resolution be implemented and humanitarian aid access be allowed” into the coastal enclave.
“The UN mandate is in line with what Spain has defended since the beginning of the conflict,” he said in a post on X.
“The materialisation of the two States, Israel and Palestine, coexisting in peace and security, is the only realistic and viable solution for the region.”
'Lasting, sustainable ceasefire'
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, according to news agency AFP.
The UNSC ceasefire resolution comes after the brutal massacre of over 32,000 civilians – over 70 per cent of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry of Palestine.
The UNSC also comes at a time when close to 1.4 Palestinians stranded in Rafah are facing starvation and acute shortage of drinking water and other essentials.
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