UN General Assembly calls for `humanitarian truce’ in Gaza

The UN General Assembly during debate on the Israeli-Hamas war (Bebeto Matthews/AP)

The UN General Assembly has approved a nonbinding resolution calling for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza, leading to a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers.

It was the first UN response to Hamas’s surprise October 7 attacks on Israel and the ongoing military response and vow to obliterate Hamas.

The 193-member world body adopted the resolution by a vote of 120-14 with 45 abstentions after rejecting a Canadian amendment backed by the United States to unequivocally condemn the “terrorist attacks” by Hamas and demand the immediate release of hostages taken by Hamas.