India voted in the UN General Assembly for a draft resolution that demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, as well as the unconditional release of all hostages.
The 193-member UN General Assembly adopted a draft resolution presented by Egypt in an extraordinary emergency session at the UN on Tuesday. The resolution was adopted with 153 votes in favor, while 23 countries abstained and 10 voted against the text, news agency PTI reported.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ruchira Kamboj said there is a huge humanitarian crisis and widespread loss of life. “India voted in favor of the resolution just adopted by the General Assembly. The situation discussed by that august body has many dimensions.
“There was a terrorist attack in Israel on October 7 and concerns about the hostages taken at that time. There is a huge humanitarian crisis and a large-scale loss of life of citizens, especially women and children. There is a problem of observing international There is an effort to find a peaceful and lasting two-state solution long-term Palestinian issues,” Ruchira Kamboj said, according to ANI.
The resolution, supported by Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Palestine, among others, called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated its demand that all parties abide by their obligations under international law, “in particular with with regard to the protection of civilians.”
However, the resolution did not name Hamas, and the US proposed an amendment to the draft resolution calling for the insertion of the paragraph: “Unequivocally rejects and condemns the heinous terrorist attacks by Hamas that have occurred in Israel since October 7, 2023 and the hostage-taking” in the main text. India voted in favor of the amendment.
In October, India abstained in the General Assembly on a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and unrestricted humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. The Jordanian-drafted resolution also called for the immediate, continuous, sufficient and unlimited provision of essential goods and services to civilians throughout the Gaza Strip.
The UN General Assembly vote on Tuesday came days after the 15-member UN Security Council failed to adopt a resolution on the conflict between Israel and Hamas that would have called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire after permanent member the United States vetoed the text.
