According to diplomatic sources, the General Assembly may vote on a nonbinding resolution for a ceasefire during the meeting. A draft of the resolution, echoing the language of a vetoed Security Council resolution from Friday, expresses deep concern over the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
The resolution urges for “an immediate humanitarian cease-fire” and the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
Following the US veto of the ceasefire resolution on Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres summoned an emergency Security Council meeting, utilizing Article 99 of the UN Charter to bring attention to “any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”
Guterres criticized the council for its delayed response to the war, stating that its “authority and credibility” have been “severely undermined.”
In a previous resolution at the end of October, the General Assembly called for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities” between Israel and Hamas.
Two weeks later, the Security Council addressed the war for the first time, calling for “extended pauses and humanitarian corridors,” using less definitive language than a ceasefire or a truce.
AFP