UN Security Council approves resolution on war in Gaza as US abstains

The United Nations Security Council approved a resolution on Friday calling for a humanitarian pause in the war between Israel and Hamas. Thirteen nations voted in favor, while Russia and the United States abstained. Both chose not to use their veto power, which would have been enough to block the resolution.

"It took many long nights of negotiating to get this right – but today, the Security Council provided a glimmer of hope amongst a sea of unimaginable suffering," said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the United Nations (UN). She also assured that the United States will continue working to send more humanitarian aid to Gaza and on the release of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas.

Despite this praise, Thomas-Greenfield had previously explained that the United States would not vote in favor of the resolution supported by the United Arab Emirates because it did not explicitly condemn Hamas, even though it did speak out against "all acts of terrorism."

The ambassador had delayed the vote four times on the measure that calls for an increase in humanitarian aid sent to Gaza and expresses an "unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders". According to a copy of the text distributed by The Times of Israel, the latter should result from "unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority."

"We are grateful for the US efforts to address the most problematic elements in the proposed resolution," said an Israeli official in conversation with CNN. "In our view, the resolution is unnecessary and proves the inability for the UN to play a positive role in the conflict. After nearly three months, the UN has yet to condemn the massacre of October 7."

Last week, the United States voted against a United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip .