UN chief reiterates call for immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza

UN chief Antonio Guterres reiterated his call for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, after the Security Council approved a resolution that demands all sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict allow the "safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale." 

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations said "I urge the Israeli authorities to lift restrictions on commercial activity immediately. We are ready to scale up our cash grant support to vulnerable families – the most effective form of humanitarian aid. But in Gaza, there is very little to buy. So ladies and gentlemen of the media, in the circumstances I have just described, a humanitarian ceasefire is the only way to begin to meet the desperate needs of people in Gaza and end their ongoing nightmare."

After several days of intense negotiations and nail-biting delays, the resolution submitted by the United Arab Emirates passed by a vote of 13-0, with the US and Russia – both permanent council members – abstaining.