The UN Security Council has approved, for the first time and after four previous failed attempts, a resolution unequivocally calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war, which has caused the death of 32,000 people in less than six months.

The resolution was approved by 14 votes in favor and one abstention, that of the United States.and when it was approved it sparked applause from the room, something that rarely happens.

In it, the Council “calls for an immediate ceasefire during the month of Ramadan (which ends on April 9) leading to a lasting ceasefire”, while calling for – but not binding on – “the immediate release and unconditional protection of all hostages” in the hands of Hamas.

It also highlights “the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance and strengthen the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip” and asks Israel (which he does not name) to “lift all barriers to this humanitarian aid.”

The resolution has been presented by the ten non-permanent members of the Council, among which there are African, Asian, European and Latin American countries, which gives an idea of ​​the global perception of urgency of the Gaza war.

Uncertainty about its approval remained until the last minute, as Russia requested that there be a separate vote to introduce the word “permanent” after the ceasefire – with the understanding that “durable” would allow Israel to continue with the war. but that amendment was not approved.

The war that began almost six months ago has caused more than 32,000 deaths, leaving one million large number of people (almost half of Gazans) in a state of “extreme food insecurity” and has left a level of destruction in the Palestinian territory that some have compared to that of Germany after the Second World War.

The Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, yesterday compared what happened in Gaza to the apocalypse: “Looking at Gaza, it almost seems that the four horsemen of war, hunger, conquest and death are galloping through it,” Guterres said in Egypt, after emphasizing that nothing justifies collective punishment of the Palestinians.

On the four previous occasions, the United States – an unconditional ally of Israel – vetoed three resolutions because, according to Washington, a ceasefire would allow the rearme of Hamas, while last Friday it was Russia and China that vetoed the US resolution with the argument that it did not contain clear and forceful vocabulary to demand a ceasefire.

Requests to Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza had so far fallen on deaf ears, despite the fact that more and more countries have joined these calls, including European nations – France, Germany and the United Kingdom – which at the beginning of the war They were closer to Israel and other allies that have also been evolving such as Canada or Japan, leaving the United States as the last unbreakable ally of the Jewish state.