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UN General Assembly passes Gaza-Israel ceasefire resolution

UN General Assembly passes Gaza-Israel ceasefire resolution
MENA
25 min read
12 December, 2023
The UN General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, much to the chagrin of Israel.

The UN General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly for a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 153 countries voted in favour, with 10, including the US, voting against and 23 abstaining.

Israel denounced those who voted for the resolution as advancing the' "Satanic agenda" of Hamas.

It is not known what effect the vote will have on Israel's war on Gaza and the continued US support for it, with many analysts considering it to be sending a sign to the US regarding the huge scale of opposition to Israel's war.

The vote coincided with what many consider to be a shift in rhetoric from US President Joe Biden, who earlier during a fundraiser event on Tuesday called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to change his "hardline government" and support a two-state solution. Biden also said that Israel risked isolation due to its "indiscriminate" attacks on civilians, marking the first time the US president has used that term to describe Israel's attacks in Gaza. 

Meanwhile in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli airstrikes continues in both North and South Gaza, with tens of people killed in Rafah, including seven children and at least five women.

In Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that six Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids, with the Wafa news agency also reporting that one person was wounded in the al-Sibat neighborhood. A 13-year-old Palestinian boy died during the Israeli raid after he was prevented from receiving treatment by the Israeli army. 

Israeli forces have reportedly encircled three hospitals in the vicinity.