UN supports Gaza ceasefire plan

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution calling for an immediate and durable ceasefire between Hamas militants and Israeli forces in Gaza.

The resolution was passed by 14 votes to 0 with the US abstaining. Israel and Hamas were not party to the vote.

The resolution also called for the Israeli military to pull out from Gaza, for measures to stop the smuggling of arms into the region, and for checkpoints on the Gaza border to be reopened.

It also welcomed the prospect of an international conference on the Middle East peace process in Moscow in 2009.

“The UN Security Council demands to secure unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid on the territory of Gaza, including food, fuel and medicine. It welcomes initiatives aimed at the creation and opening of humanitarian corridors, and other mechanisms to secure the stable delivery of humanitarian aid,” the resolution reads.

The Security Council resolution was reached after three days of intense negotiations between Arab and Western officials at the UN.