United Nations General Assembly: 149 states vote in favor of the Gaza truce resolution
The United Nations General Assembly, convened in an emergency session on June 12, 2025, adopted the resolution for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, with 149 votes in favor, 12 against, including the United States, Israel, Argentina, Hungary, and Paraguay, and 19 abstentions, including India, Georgia, Ecuador, Romania, and Ethiopia. Just a week earlier, during the June 4 session, a veto by the United States had prevented the adoption of a similar measure by the Security Council.
At the opening of the session, General Assembly President Philémon Yang took a strong stance, highlighting the urgent need to end the atrocities in Gaza, denouncing the dramatic conditions faced by civilians, the ongoing captivity of hostages, and calling for immediate international intervention. Moreover, Yang criticised the persistent immobility of the Security Council and its consequent incapacity to fulfill its fundamental function of maintaining peace and security.
The General Assembly resolution is a non-binding instrument but carries significant political and moral weight. Specifically, the Gaza resolution strongly criticises the use of starvation as a weapon of war and reiterates the absolute necessity of allowing humanitarian aid passage and protecting the civilian population as required by international law. It also calls for the urgent implementation of Resolution 2735, adopted in 2024 by the Security Council, respect for international humanitarian law and human rights, especially regarding the protection of civilians and the recognition of responsibility for violations committed. It urges the release of arbitrarily detained persons, the return of victims' bodies, the protection of health workers, hospital facilities, and transportation routes. Finally, it urges Member States to take measures to ensure Israel's compliance with international legal obligations, while also drawing attention to the pending request for an urgent advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice regarding Israeli obligations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.