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<h1>United Nations votes overwhelmingly in favour of humanitarian truce in Gaza</h1><p class="gmail-article__subhead gmail-css-1wt8oh6"><em>Resolution drafted by Arab states passes by margin of 120 to 14, with 45 abstentions at the UN General Assembly.</em></p><div class="gmail-responsive-image"><img src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/AP23300723779950-1698438127.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="Voting results are displayed as the Unite Nations General Assembly voted on a nonbinding resolution calling for a "humanitarian truce" in Gaza" width="392" height="261" style="margin-right: 25px;"></div>Voting
results are displayed as the United Nations General Assembly voted on a
nonbinding resolution calling for a 'humanitarian truce' in Gaza and a
cessation of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian armed group
Hamas on Friday, October 27 [Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo]<div class="gmail-article-info-block gmail-css-ti04u9"><div class="gmail-article-b-l" style="border-color:rgb(250,144,0)"><div class="gmail-article-dates" style="border-color:rgb(250,144,0)"><div class="gmail-date-simple gmail-css-1yjq2zp"><span class="gmail-screen-reader-text">Published On 27 Oct 2023</span><span aria-hidden="true"><br></span></div><div class="gmail-date-simple gmail-css-1yjq2zp"><font size="1"><a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/27/united-nations-votes-overwhelmingly-in-favour-of-humanitarian-truce-in-gaza">https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/27/united-nations-votes-overwhelmingly-in-favour-of-humanitarian-truce-in-gaza</a></font></div></div></div><div class="gmail-social-share-buttons"><a class="gmail-social-share-button" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Share on Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.io%2Fw7cf89"></a></div></div><a class="gmail-social-share-button" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Share on Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=United%20Nations%20votes%20overwhelmingly%20in%20favour%20of%20humanitarian%20truce%20in%20Gaza&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.io%2Fw7cf89"></a><div class="gmail-article-info-block gmail-css-ti04u9"><div class="gmail-social-share-buttons"></div></div><div class="gmail-wysiwyg gmail-wysiwyg--all-content gmail-css-ibbk12"><p>The United Nations General Assembly <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/27/unga-calls-for-humanitarian-truce-in-israel-hamas-war-how-countries-voted">has voted</a>
overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution calling for an immediate
humanitarian truce between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas.</p>
<p>The 193-member body passed the resolution, drafted by a group of 22
Arab countries, by a margin of 120 to 14, with 45 countries abstaining.
The United States and Israel voted no.</p>
<p>Speaking before the vote, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi
said that voting against the resolution “means approving this senseless
war, this senseless killing”. Israel denounced the vote as “infamy”.</p>
<p>The resolution is non-binding, but serves as a barometer of global
opinion as fighting between Israel and Hamas nears the end of its third
week, following an assault by Hamas on southern Israel that killed more
than 1,400 people.</p>
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<p>The body convened as <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/27/israel-intensifies-gaza-bombardment-as-internet-and-phone-services-go-down">Israel intensified its bombardment on Gaza</a>,
where phone and internet service have been cut off and Israel has
engaged in limited ground skirmishes before an expected invasion.</p>
<p>The General Assembly voted after the UN Security Council had failed to take action over two weeks, with the US and Russia <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/18/us-vetoes-un-resolution-calling-for-humanitarian-pause-in-israel-hamas-war">using their veto powers</a> to block proposals supported by the other.</p><div id="gmail-article-newsletter-slot"></div>
<p>The adopted resolution calls for an “immediate, durable and sustained
humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” and “firmly
rejects any attempts at the forced transfer of the Palestinian civilian
population”.</p>
<p>It also stresses the need to avoid a wider escalation of the fighting
and demands increased humanitarian aid for Gaza, where only a small
handful of trucks carrying aid have been allowed to enter over the last
week.</p>
<p>A Canadian-introduced amendment to the resolution that would have
added a condemnation of the Hamas attack did not receive the necessary
two-thirds majority.</p>
<p>The resolution calls for the immediate release of all civilians being
held hostage and condemns “all acts of terrorism and indiscriminate
attacks” including those on Israeli civilians, but does not name Hamas
specifically.</p>
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<p>Israeli UN ambassador Gilad Erdan said that “a ceasefire means giving
Hamas time to rearm itself,” and that the vote was not intended to
bring peace but to “tie Israel’s hands”.</p>
<p>Speaking on Thursday, Erdan had said, “The only place this resolution belongs is in the dustbin of history”.</p>
</div><div class="gmail-article-source">Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies</div>
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