The United Nations General Assembly, including Azerbaijan, has overwhelmingly passed a resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional, and lasting ceasefire in Gaza.
Meeting in emergency session, 149 countries voted in favor of the resolution, while just 12 opposed it and 19 abstained. Among those voting against were the United States and Israel, alongside Argentina, Hungary, Paraguay and a handful of others. Abstentions included India, Georgia, Ecuador, Romania, and Ethiopia.
The resolution, spearheaded by more than 20 nations, strongly condemns the use of starvation as a weapon of war and calls for the complete lifting of the Israeli blockade to allow unhindered humanitarian aid into Gaza. It also reinforces the obligation to protect civilians and uphold international law.
Though General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, Thursday's vote is a powerful expression of global political will, especially after the U.S. last week vetoed a similar measure in the Security Council, leaving the body paralysed.
General Assembly President Philémon Yang opened the special session with stark criticism of the Security Council’s failure to act, calling the humanitarian situation in Gaza “unacceptable.” He cited reports of ongoing civilian deaths, widespread hunger, and limited access to basic necessities like food, water, and medicine.
Yang also drew attention to the plight of hostages and those arbitrarily detained, while expressing hope that an upcoming high-level meeting in New York, chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, might bring fresh momentum toward a two-state solution.
Ceasefire: Calls for an immediate and unconditional halt to hostilities.
Hostage Release: Demands the freeing of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups.
Humanitarian Access: Insists on safe and unimpeded delivery of aid throughout Gaza.
International Law: Reaffirms the obligation to protect civilians and ensure accountability for violations.
End to Blockade: Demands Israel lift the blockade and open all border crossings.
Accountability: Urges Member States to ensure Israeli compliance with international law.
Medical Protection: Underscores the neutrality of health workers and calls for the safeguarding of medical facilities.
UN Protection: Demands respect for UN and humanitarian workers, their missions, and immunity.
ICJ Advisory Opinion: Recalls the General Assembly’s previous request for legal clarity on Israel’s responsibilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The vote comes as the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. Famine conditions are reportedly widespread, and recent incidents have seen civilians injured or killed while seeking food at distribution points, many of which operate outside of UN control but receive U.S. and Israeli support.
The new resolution also backs the full implementation of Security Council resolution 2735 (2024), which includes provisions for a ceasefire, the exchange of prisoners, the return of displaced persons, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
As the crisis drags into its 20th month, the General Assembly has stepped in where the Security Council has stalled—offering a forceful international demand for peace, protection, and accountability.
Attention now shifts to next week’s diplomatic talks in New York, where world leaders will gather to explore long-term solutions, including the long-elusive two-state framework. In the meantime, humanitarian organizations continue to call for urgent aid access, protection of civilians, and respect for international norms in the conflict zone.
Russian strikes targeting Ukraine's energy sector killed at least 11 people across the country early on Wednesday, Ukrainian Presiden...
The Houthis attacked Aden International Airport with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones early Wednesday, Yemen’s Transport Ministr...
Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a Kenyan citizen who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) died in Nairobi, p...
Russia's health watchdog said on Tuesday that no cases of plague had been detected among anyone who had come into contact with a Siberian plague institute laboratory worker who died last week, and locals said their lives had barely been disrupted.
A large Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding region has killed two people, damaged homes and sparked a major fire at a key fuel facility, according to Russian officials and military bloggers.
An Azerbaijani citizen died and another is missing after a cargo ship was attacked by a drone in the Black Sea, near the coast of Romania on Monday, 5 October, Baku's Foreign Ministry has said.
The German-Azerbaijani Connectivity Conference 2026 commenced on 6 October in Baku under the title “Mobilising Finance for Infrastructure, Transport, Logistics, Green Energy, and Digitalisation along the Middle Corridor.”
Police fired tear gas at protesters blockading French high schools on Tuesday as students, teachers and parents took to the streets on the biggest day of action in a wave of demonstrations against understaffed and dilapidated classrooms.
Russian strikes targeting Ukraine's energy sector killed at least 11 people across the country early on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Flats, industrial plants and infrastructure were also damaged in the attacks, Ukrainian officials said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the use of a firing squad to execute former U.S. Army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas.
Kenya has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a Kenyan citizen who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) died in Nairobi, prompting health authorities to launch an urgent contact-tracing operation.
Kosovo's parliament has elected economist and academic Justina Shiroka Pula as the country's new president, concluding a dramatic political process just hours before a constitutional deadline that threatened to dissolve the legislature.
The U.S. military has tightened restrictions on its personnel in Okinawa following the arrest of a Marine on suspicion of murder, a case that has reignited long-standing tensions over the American military presence on the southern Japanese island.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment