UN Security Council votes on resolution to halt fighting in Gaza, open humanitarian aid corridors

The UN Security Council will vote again on Thursday on a draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the besieged and devastated territory. The move comes amid the 23-month-long war, despite repeated U.S. vetoes that have blocked previous attempts.

The elected members began discussions on the draft at the end of August in response to the UN’s formal declaration of famine in the Gaza Strip. The initial text called for the removal of all obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, but France and the United Kingdom expressed doubts about the effectiveness of a purely humanitarian resolution, while the United States could easily block it using its veto.

The new draft resolution, to be put to a vote on Thursday afternoon, calls for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of hostages. Of the 251 people abducted during Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7, 2023, 47 remain held in Gaza, including 25 who have died, according to the Israeli army.

The United States has previously rejected similar draft resolutions, most recently in June when it used its veto to protect Israel. That has reflected frustration and anger among the 14 other Security Council members, who are calling for an end to the suffering of Gaza’s population.

Since the Israeli offensive that followed the Hamas attack, more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, most of them civilians, and a majority of the territory’s more than two million residents have been displaced, amid a near-total blockade on humanitarian aid. UN experts have confirmed a partial famine in the territory, while Israel denies those claims and accuses Hamas of looting aid.

Separately, a UN-appointed panel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, while Israel described the report as “biased and misleading”. In 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.