UN Security Council passes resolution demanding ceasefire in Gaza for Ramadan

The Security Council on Monday adopted a resolution that demands an immediate cease-fire in Gaza for the holy month of Ramadan.

The resolution, winning 14 votes in favor among the 15 members of the council, was the first Security Council resolution that demands or calls for a ceasefire in Gaza after the flare-up of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza on October 7, 2023. 

The United States, which had previously vetoed three draft resolutions that would have called for or demanded a ceasefire in Gaza, abstained on Monday, allowing the draft to pass.

Hamas welcomed the adoption of the resolution. In a statement, it called on the Security Council to pressure Israel to commit to a ceasefire and to stop "the war of extermination" against the Palestinian people.

It also highlighted its readiness to engage in a prisoner exchange process immediately, emphasized the need to reach a permanent ceasefire and demanded the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, 

After the United States' abstention, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the cancellation of a planned visit to Washington by a delegation comprising senior Israeli officials.

Netanyahu accused the U.S. of "retreating" from a "principled position" by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the ceasefire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.