The United Nations on Tuesday called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
According to Reuters, after dire warnings by UN officials about a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the 193-member UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire with 153 countries voting in favour and 23 abstaining.
The United of America President, Joe Biden, warned Israel that it was losing international support because of its indiscriminate bombing of civilians in its war against Hamas militants
The US and Israel, which argue a ceasefire only benefits Hamas, voted against the measure along with eight other countries.
The resolution is not binding but carries political weight, reflecting a global view of the war.
The United States vetoed a similar call in the 15-member Security Council last week.
The Palestinian Authority welcomed the resolution and called on countries to pressure Israel to adopt the ceasefire.
A Hamas official in exile, Izzat El-Reshiq, in a statement on Telegram, echoed that reaction, saying Israel should “stop its aggression, genocide, and ethnic cleansing against our people.”
Israel’s assault on Gaza to root out Hamas has killed at least 18,205 Palestinians and wounded nearly 50,000 since Oct. 7, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Israel launched its onslaught after a cross-border raid by Hamas fighters who killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Israel on Tuesday declared 19 of 134 people still in captivity in Gaza dead in absentia after the bodies of two hostages were recovered.
In Khan Younis, southern Gaza’s main city, residents said on Tuesday that Israeli tank shelling was now focused on the city centre.
One said tanks were operating in the street where the house of Yahya Al-Sinwar, Hamas’ leader in Gaza, is located.
After nightfall, Israeli air strikes on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip killed 11 Palestinians, including two children, health officials said.
