The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution Friday scaling up the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip and calling for the urgent release of hostages held by Hamas.
The U.S. government did not vote in favor of the resolution, but also did not block it, after an intense week of diplomacy that led to changes to its wording.
“Colleagues, today this council made clear that addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza needs to remain at the forefront of our agenda,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said following the vote.
Thirteen countries voted in favor of the resolution, while the U.S. and Russia abstained. Russia had criticized the text as being “toothless” due to the changes that were demanded by the U.S.
In particular, Russia criticized the removal of a passage that would have condemned “all indiscriminate attacks on civilians” and text that would have called for an “urgent suspension of hostilities” and steps toward a cease-fire.
The U.S. vetoed an amendment proposed by Russia to change the text of the resolution.
The final text calls for all parties to adhere to international humanitarian law and “deplores all attacks against civilians and civilian objects … and all acts of terrorism.”
The final text also calls for “urgent steps” to allow humanitarian access, and adds urgency to “create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”
Israel, backed by the U.S., has opposed outside efforts to demand a cease-fire in its military operation against Hamas, which is aimed at destroying the U.S.-designated terror group following its unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7, in which 1,200 people were killed and 240 taken hostage. More than 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity.
Thomas-Greenfield criticized Russia’s moves in the security council as hypocritical, given its nearly 21 month of war against Ukraine.
“I’m not going to respond to Russia’s rant, a country that has also created conditions that they are complaining about now in their unprovoked war in Ukraine,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
The U.S. ambassador, despite abstaining from the vote, hailed the resolution’s passage as an important step for the council, underscoring the severity of the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians in Gaza. An estimated 20,000 people have been killed by Israel’s attacks since Oct. 7.
While Hamas is not named in the text, the resolution “demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address medical needs of all hostages.”
The resolution also calls on the U.N. secretary-general to appoint expeditiously a senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator with responsibility for facilitating the delivery of aid in Gaza.