UN Human Rights Council adopts resolution calling for arms embargo on Israel

CAIRO – 5 April 2024: The 47-member Human Rights Council of the United Nations adopted, on Friday, a resolution calling for an arms embargo on Israel

The resolution was approved by 28 votes in favour, six against and 13 abstentions. It was presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). However, the resolution is not legally binding.

The ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip -since October 7 of last year - has killed 33,037 documented Palestinian people, mostly children and women. Meanwhile, the number of injuries has reached 75,668 others.

On March 25, 2024, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza after nearly 170 days of war. The resolution was issued by the 10 elected countries in the UN, as a total of 14 members voted in favor the resolution, while the U.S. abstained.

Egypt welcomed the Security Council’s adoption of a Gaza ceasefire resolution for the first time since the outbreak of the crisis, despite it being “unbalanced and with a limited timeframe.”