India decided to abstain from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution that called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and urged unhindered access to humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas reached a point when the militant group launched attacks on October 7, resulting in the tragic loss of over 1,400 lives. The situation in the region had been deteriorating, prompting calls for intervention.
During a session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) attended by its 193 member states, a draft resolution titled “Protection of civilians and upholding humanitarian obligations” was put forward by Jordan to address the ongoing crisis in the region.
The draft resolution received support from 120 member states, while 14 voted against it, and 45 countries chose to abstain. Alongside India countries that abstained included Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Ukraine and the UK.
A notable point of contention was that the text of the draft resolution did not explicitly mention Hamas as a group involved. This omission raised objections from parties. The United States expressed its outrage at what it deemed as an “omission of evil” within the resolution. Before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proceeded with the vote on the resolution, they took into consideration a proposed amendment.
India, along with 87 countries, expressed their support for the proposed amendment. On the other hand, 55 member states voted against it, and 23 decided to abstain. Unfortunately, despite these efforts, the amendment did not obtain the required two-thirds majority.
The Jordanian-drafted resolution called for an immediate, durable, and sustained humanitarian truce, with the goal of ending hostilities. It also emphasized the need for unhindered humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip, ensuring the provision of essential goods and services to the civilian population.
The resolution highlighted the importance of complying with international humanitarian law to safeguard civilians and called for unhindered humanitarian access for various organizations, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
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