The United Nations General Assembly is set to convene on Tuesday to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
This comes after the United States exercised a veto in the Security Council, blocking a resolution for a ceasefire last week.
Egypt and Mauritania, representing the Arab Group and the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, have called for a special meeting, where the General Assembly, with nonbinding resolutions, may vote on a text resembling the vetoed Security Council resolution.
The draft emphasizes concern for the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and urges an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, along with the unconditional release of hostages.
Following the Security Council’s delayed response to the conflict, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres utilized Article 99 of the UN Charter, calling for an emergency meeting.
The U.S. veto drew criticism, with Guterres stating that the body’s “authority and credibility” were severely undermined.
In late October, the General Assembly urged an “immediate, durable, and sustained humanitarian truce” leading to a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. Subsequently, the Security Council,
in another resolution two weeks later, called for “extended pauses and humanitarian corridors,” using less definitive language than a ceasefire or truce.
