The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on Monday (March 25). The United States abstained from the vote after vetoing three previous resolutions.
The resolution demands a ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan and the immediate and unconditional release of hostages. It also notes "the urgent need to expand the flow" of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where over 32,000 people have died and 74,500 have been injured since the fighting began last October.
"The Security Council just approved a long-awaited resolution on Gaza, demanding an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. This resolution must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable," United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a post on X.
The resolution comes as Israel is preparing for an operation in Gaza's southern city of Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that an upcoming high-level meeting at the White House would canceled following the vote.
"This withdrawal hurts both the war effort and the effort to release the abductees, because it gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow them to get a ceasefire without the release of our abductees," the prime minister's office said.