UN Council demands Gaza ceasefire and hostage release; U.S. abstains

WATCH: Sarah Coates reports from Tel Aviv on the UN vote for a ceasefire

The UN Security Council demanded an immediate ceasefire on Monday (March 25) for the first time after the U.S., Israel's ally which vetoed previous drafts, abstained.

Drawing unusual applause in the often staid Security Council, all 14 other members voted in favor of the resolution which "demands an immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The resolution calls for the truce to lead to a "lasting, sustainable ceasefire" and demands that Hamas and other militants free hostages seized on October 7.

Russia at the last minute objected to the removal of the word "permanent" from the ceasefire proposal and called a vote, which failed to gain passage.

After more than five months of war, the successful resolution was drafted in part by Algeria, the Arab bloc's current member on the Security Council, with a diverse array of countries including Slovenia and Switzerland. 

The U.S. has vetoed previous ceasefire bids but has shown growing frustration with Israel, including its stated plans to expand its military operation to the packed southern city of Rafah. A change in tone toward its Middle Eastern ally was seen last Friday (March 22), when the U.S. put forward a resolution to recognize "the imperative" of an "immediate and sustained ceasefire."

But that text was blocked by Russia and China, which along with Arab states criticized it for stopping short of explicitly demanding Israel halt its campaign in Gaza.

Following Monday's vote, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the U.S. abstention hurt Israel's fight against Hamas and the effort to release hostages held in the territory. The U.S. said the ceasefire vote could "only" be implemented once the hostage release began.

Although the U.S. insisted their abstention did not "represent a change of course," Netanyahu said the failure to veto was a "clear retreat" and he called off sending a delegation as planned to Washington.

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Unlike Friday's text, the call for a ceasefire in the new resolution is not directly linked to ongoing talks, led by Qatar with support from the U.S. and Egypt, to halt fighting in return for Hamas releasing hostages. Israel has criticized the Security Council for previous resolutions that have not specifically condemned Hamas.

The October 7 attack by the Palestinian militant group on Israel resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. The militants also seized 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes around 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 presumed dead.

Israel's military campaign in response to eliminate Hamas has killed more than 32,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The Security Council has been divided over the Israel-Hamas war since the October 7 attacks, only approving two of eight resolutions, which both mainly dealt with humanitarian aid.

Those resolutions seem to have had little effect on the ground, where UN personnel say Israel continues to block aid convoys as experts warn of looming famine.

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