UN General Assembly demands humanitarian ceasefire to end war in Gaza

The United Nations General Assembly has passed a non-binding resolution to demand an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza, with the United States and Israel voting against it but an overwhelming number of member states in favour of an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A total of 153 countries voted in favour of the resolution on Tuesday, 10 countries voted against it, while 23 abstained, including Germany and the United Kingdom.

The United States, having vetoed the move in the Security Council last week, voted against the resolution, along with Israel and eight other countries.

General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry political weight, reflecting a global view on the war. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has long called for a humanitarian ceasefire and last week made the rare move to warn the Security Council of the global threat posed by the war.

At least 18,412 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7, while about 8,000 people are missing or trapped under the rubble in Gaza, according local health and civil defence officials. The revised death toll in Israel stands at 1,147.