On Monday, March 25, 2024, the UNSC (United Nations Security Council) passed a resolution demanding the immediate ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Palestine’s Gaza Strip. The resolution was proposed by the council’s ten non-permanent members for an immediate ceasefire during the month of Ramadan, which began the evening of March 10, 2024, and ends on April 9, 2024, Eastern Daylight Time. Fourteen members voted in favor of the resolution, and 0 members voted against it, while the US, a permanent member, abstained.
During the voting of the current resolution with the UNSC, the Security Council suddenly altered the Resolution’s text under the pretext that it would “build consensus on the text.” According to Russia’s representative, the alteration occurred an hour before the meeting. A single word was removed from the original text, which was “permanent,” and it changed the likelihood of a long-lasting ceasefire. Russia disagreed with this, and reasonably justified their anger by saying the text was replaced with unacceptably weak wording. They pointed out how it could grant Israel the right to resume their military operation in Gaza any time after Ramadan.
Permanent members in favor of the resolution:
China, France, Russia, and the UK.
Non-permanent members in favor of the resolution:
Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
The ceasefire details call for the immediate release of hostages taken by Hamas beginning October 7, 2023, and more humanitarian aid access. However, this call for a ceasefire may not be binding. While the U.S. claims the resolution was nonbinding, the other members of the council said the UNSC resolutions are binding and mandatory. It is hardly a surprise that Israel has already discarded UN resolutions before. According to Al Jazeera, In December 2016, a resolution was passed by the UNSC regarding Israel’s illegal settlements in Palestine and a violation of international law. Despite the resolution receiving 14 votes, Israel discarded the resolution. At this point, it is unlikely that Israel and Hamas will comply with the ceasefire, and the resolution undeniably served a more political role than unconditional humanitarian relief.
The United States is transparent with their support for Israel since they abstained from the current resolution, vetoed five draft resolutions before, and precisely one in December 2023. In December 2023, a resolution for a humanitarian ceasefire gained the favor of a majority of the U.N. General Assembly. Israel discarded this non-binding resolution. More recently, South Africa called out Israel’s actions by accusing the Israelis of committing genocide in Gaza, which led the ICJ (International Court of Justice) to create six provisional measures for preventing genocide that Israel has to comply with. Meanwhile, the US continues to send its support to Israel with military aid.
Sources:
Will the UN ceasefire resolution stop Israel’s war on Gaza? By Al Jazeera Staff, March 26, 2024
Israel’s war on Gaza updates: New Israeli law paves way for Al Jazeera ban By Urooba Jamal and Edna Mohamed, April 1, 2024
Gaza: Security Council passes resolution demanding ‘an immediate ceasefire’ during Ramadan By UN News, March 25, 2024
Days after U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution, Has Anything Changed in Gaza? By Matthew Bigg, March 29, 2024
What happened after the resolution was passed?
Only a few hours after the UNSC approved an immediate ceasefire, 12 more Palestinians, including children, died after Israeli forces hit their tent. Moreover, the IDF raided several civilian homes, and there were reports of them firing at people.
Seven Foreign aid services from The World Central Kitchen were killed while attempting to deliver aid. The seven volunteers were from Australia, Poland, the UK, Canada, and Palestine. Netanyahu claimed that the strikes that hit directly in the centers of their three vehicles, which were not close to each other, were accidental. The strikes occurred on April 1st, after the ceasefire, when it is undoubtedly unacceptable for airstrikes to be fired. According to the U.N., this makes the number of aid employees killed in Gaza at least 196. As a result of risky and deathly trips, aid organizations like The World Central Kitchen are pulling out of Gaza.
Before and during the ceasefire, the IDF conducted a two-week-long raid on Gaza’s most prominent and one of the few remaining hospitals, Al-Shifa. This is not the first time the IDF has raided this hospital. The IDF claims to have killed 200 terrorists and detained over 500 more. Little evidence is available to the public regarding whether they were terrorists or civilians. The numbers are not proven, either. Multiple civilian bodies were found scattered around the outside of the hospital ruins. The IDF has conducted numerous attacks and airstrikes since the start of the ceasefire. Netanyahu is responding to pressure from The Biden administration, who said there will be consequences if ignored, which will allow more aid into Gaza. It is clear that this “ceasefire” is not being followed, and more violence will continue.
