Sri Lanka has voted in favour of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s resolution calling for an immediate and sustained ‘humanitarian truce’ in Gaza.
A total of 120 countries, including Sri Lanka voted in favour of the resolution, while 14 countries, including Israel and the United States of America, voted against it.
India, Australia, Germany, Canada, Japan, Ukraine and the UK were among 45 countries that abstained from voting.
Accordingly, the UN General Assembly on Friday adopted the resolution calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza.
The resolution also demands “continuous, sufficient and unhindered” provision of lifesaving supplies and services for civilians trapped inside the enclave, as news reports suggest Israel has expanded ground operations and intensified its bombing campaign.
Israel has intensified its bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip as internet and mobile communications services collapsed in the Palestinian territory. An extended series of large explosions lit up the sky over Gaza City after nightfall on Friday.
Israel has bombed the strip relentlessly since Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7 that killed more than 1,400 people.
Israel has also imposed a “complete siege” on Gaza, cutting access to food, water, fuel, and electricity for the enclave’s 2.3 million residents who have few options for seeking refuge.
The health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza has published a report listing the names of more than 6,000 “documented deaths” in Gaza since the attack. (NewsWire)
