The UN Security Council’s latest resolution on Gaza fails to meet the critical needs of the Strip, according to Amnesty International.

Amnesty International has criticised the United Nations Security Council’s resolution on Gaza, describing it as “woefully insufficient.”

The resolution, which was adopted on Friday, called for “urgent steps to immediately allow safe and unhindered and expanded humanitarian access” to Gaza.

It also aimed at creating “the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities.”

However, Amnesty International argues that this measure does not adequately address the dire situation.

Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of the UK-based rights group, emphasized the urgency of the situation in a statement.

“This is a much-needed resolution – all efforts to address the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza must be welcomed, but it remains woefully insufficient in the face of the ongoing carnage and extensive destruction wrought by the government of Israel’s attacks in the occupied Gaza Strip,” Callamard remarked.

Callamard underscored the critical need for an immediate ceasefire to alleviate the widespread civilian suffering.

She highlighted that the resolution, significantly diluted from earlier versions to prevent a US veto, does not demand an immediate halt in the fighting. Instead, it vaguely calls for the creation of conditions for a cessation of hostilities.

Given the staggering death toll and the scale of destruction in Gaza, Callamard considers this approach unacceptable.

The resolution intended to establish a mechanism for expediting the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

However, earlier drafts that called for an urgent “cessation of hostilities” were modified due to objections from the US mission.

Callamard condemned this as disgraceful, stating, “It is disgraceful that the US was able to stall and use the threat of its veto power to force the UN Security Council to weaken a much-needed call for an immediate end to attacks by all parties.”

The United States has previously vetoed two draft resolutions calling for a halt in the fighting since 7 October 2023.

These include a draft resolution proposed by Brazil for humanitarian pauses on 18 October and another on 8 December, backed by almost all other Security Council members and dozens of other nations, demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

On 12 December, the UN General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.

This resolution saw overwhelming support with 153 out of 193 member states voting in favour, with the US and Israel among the 10 countries that voted against it, and 23 abstentions.

The relentless attacks by Israel on the besieged strip have resulted in over 20,000 casualties, including more than 8,000 children and over 6,500 women.