UN General Assembly To Meet Tuesday Over Israel-Gaza Humanitarian Crisis

Following the US veto of a Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire last week, officials and diplomats announced on Sunday that the UN General Assembly will convene on Tuesday to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Naija News reports that the representatives of Egypt and Mauritania, in their respective capacities as Chair of the Arab Group and Chair of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, have summoned a special meeting of the General Assembly for Tuesday afternoon, according to a spokesperson for the Assembly president.

Diplomatic sources said that a resolution proposing a ceasefire might be put to a vote by the General Assembly during the conference, as its resolutions are however not legally enforceable.

The wording of the vetoed Security Council resolution from Friday, which expressed “grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,” is closely followed in the draft of the text that AFP was able to view.

It demands both the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” and “an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Friday, using the infrequently used Article 99 of the UN Charter to bring to the council’s attention “any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”

The US then blocked the ceasefire resolution.