RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Bilal Awad, a 63-year-old displaced Gazan, welcomed the UN Security Council’s call on Monday for a ceasefire but did not believe it would bring a respite in the Israel-Hamas war.
Without forceful action from “Israel’s supporter” Washington, which abstained in the vote to its close ally’s chagrin, the Israeli government is unlikely to budge, Awad said.
The vote triggered an angry reaction from Israel, which has vowed to destroy Hamas following its unprecedented October 7 attack, when some 1,200 were killed and 253 taken hostage, and said it would not stop before the abductees are returned.
Monday’s resolution was the first Security Council demand for “an immediate ceasefire” since the war began, and was endorsed by 14 members — all but the United States.
It calls for a truce for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan and demands Palestinian terrorists release the hostages seized during the Hamas attack, of whom Israel believes around 130 remain in Gaza, not all of them alive.
Yet Awad, who like the majority of Gaza’s 2.4 million people has sought refuge in the southern city of Rafah near the Egyptian border, wanted more.
“If Israel defies the world, this is a blow to America, Israel’s supporter. America’s decisions become mere ink on paper if it does not stop Israel by force.”
Rafah’s population has ballooned with the arrival of many Palestinians like Awad, displaced by nearly six months of war and seeking refuge in the south, unable to leave the coastal strip.
The city is now home to around 1.5 million Palestinians, up from several hundred thousand before the war, with many living in makeshift displacement camps.
Israel has vowed to pursue its offensive into the densely packed area, which is the last Hamas stronghold in Gaza and home to its last four battalions. The pledge has spurred fears of worsening a high civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Strip.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says over 32,000 have been killed in the ongoing offensive. The unverified figure does not differentiate between combatants and civilians and is believed to include Palestinians killed by terror groups’ rocket misfires and at least 13,000 terror operatives Israel says it has killed in battle. Israel also says it killed some 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
Qassem Muqaddad, speaking in Rafah, said he was not excessively optimistic after the UN vote.
“We hope that this decision will be effective and that the major powers will use their strength and authority… against Israel if Israel does not agree to a ceasefire,” said 74-year-old Muqaddad.
“This is what we hope for, but we are not very optimistic that Israel will agree to this decision, because Israel has disregarded many [UN] resolutions.”
Israel spoke out against the resolution immediately on Monday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the United States for failing to veto it and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said his government had “no moral right to stop the war while there are still hostages held in Gaza.”
Ihab al-Assar, a 60-year-old man displaced from Gaza City in the north, commended Washington’s stance.
“The decision is in favor of the Palestinian people, and hopefully, Israel will comply with it,” he said.
The US had previously vetoed resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire, which contained no mention or linkage to the hostage talks.
A US resolution vetoed by Russia and China on Friday more directly tied the demand for a Gaza ceasefire to the talks brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States.
Israel is not expected to abide by the resolution’s call for an immediate ceasefire and Hamas is not expected to follow the demand for an immediate and unconditional release of the 134 hostages, though only the former is a party to the UN charter and failure to abide by its resolutions could lead to calls for sanctions. But with the US stressing that the resolution is not binding, it is highly unlikely that Washington would allow the council to sanction Israel for failing to abide by the measure.
It does, however, mark a symbolic blow to Israel’s international standing.
Jacob Magid contributed to this report