Security Council adopts resolution calling for humanitarian pauses, corridors in Gaza

The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution calling for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors in Gaza, reported Xinhua.

Resolution 2712 calls for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip "for a sufficient number of days" to enable the full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access; to facilitate the continuous, sufficient and unhindered provision of essential goods and services throughout Gaza, including water, electricity, fuel, food, and medical supplies, as well as emergency repairs to essential infrastructure; and to enable urgent rescue and recovery efforts, including for missing children in damaged and destroyed buildings, and including the medical evacuation of sick or injured children and their caregivers.

The resolution won the support of 12 of the 15 council members. Britain, Russia and the United States abstained.

It demands that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians, especially children.

The resolution calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, especially children.

It calls on all parties to refrain from depriving the civilian population in Gaza of basic services and humanitarian assistance indispensable to their survival.

It welcomes the initial, although limited, provision of humanitarian supplies to civilians in Gaza and calls for the scaling up of the provision of such supplies to meet the humanitarian needs of the civilian population, especially children.

The resolution underscores the importance of coordination, humanitarian notification, and deconfliction mechanisms to protect all medical and humanitarian staff, vehicles, humanitarian sites, and critical infrastructure, including UN facilities, and to help facilitate the movement of aid convoys and patients, in particular sick and injured children and their caregivers.

It requests the UN secretary-general to report orally to the Security Council on the implementation of this resolution at the next mandated meeting of the council on the situation in the Middle East.

The resolution further requests the secretary-general to identify options to effectively monitor the implementation of this resolution as a matter of prime concern.

Before the vote on the Maltese-drafted resolution, Russia submitted an oral amendment, which would have further called for "an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities" -- language contained in the UN General Assembly resolution adopted on Oct. 27 at an emergency special session.

The oral amendment failed to be adopted as it did not get enough support. Five Security Council members voted in favor, and nine abstained. The United States voted against it.

Resolution 2712 was the first product of the Security Council on Gaza after the Oct. 7 escalation. The council had failed to adopt four draft resolutions on the situation in a row.

On Oct. 16, a Russian-drafted resolution failed to get enough votes in favor. On Oct. 18, a Brazilian draft was vetoed by the United States. On Oct. 25, Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-drafted resolution. And on the same day, a competing draft resolution tabled by Russia failed to get enough votes in favor.