Last night (December 22), Vietnam time, with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions from the US and Russia, the United Nations Security Council passed a key resolution related to the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Resolution 2720, sponsored by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), calls on all parties to comply with their international legal obligations, including international humanitarian law; increase the provision of urgent, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance directly to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip; release hostages immediately and unconditionally; “promptly” establish a UN mechanism to expedite humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza through countries not involved in the conflict; and ensure that aid reaches the people of the area.
The Security Council asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator, responsible for “facilitating, coordinating, monitoring and verifying” humanitarian relief operations in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement released afterwards, Secretary-General Guterres expressed his hope that Resolution 2720 would contribute to improving the delivery of relief and essential goods to Gaza. He also stressed that a humanitarian ceasefire was the only way to end the nightmare that people in this territory are suffering.
According to statistics, after 11 weeks of conflict, more than 20,000 Palestinians have died and the death toll in Gaza has reached nearly 1% of the territory's population before the conflict broke out.
Notably, the US did not use its veto power to allow the 15-member council to pass the resolution, Reuters reported. The US and Israel opposed a ceasefire because they believed it would only benefit Hamas. Instead, Washington supported a pause in fighting to protect civilians and free hostages held by Hamas. Russia also abstained, supporting the original draft that called for an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities” to allow access to aid.
HAPPY CHI
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