UN Security Council adopts call for Gaza ceasefire, hostage release as US abstains

The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Monday demanding an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, after the United States withheld its veto and abstained from the vote. It was the first time that the Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza since the start of the war in October. The resolution passed by the UN Security Council “acknowledge[s]” the ongoing efforts to secure a hostage deal but does not directly link those talks to the Gaza ceasefire it is demanding. The resolution “demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire, and also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” referring to the Islamic holy month that ends in roughly two weeks anyway.