UN Human Rights Council calls for halt to weapons shipments to Israel

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip (Ariel Schalit/AP)

The UN’s top human rights body has called on countries to stop selling or shipping weapons to Israel, in a resolution on Friday to help prevent human rights violations against Palestinians amid Israel’s blistering military campaign in Gaza.

The 47-member-country Human Rights Council voted 28-6 in favour of the resolution, with 13 abstentions.