Hamas welcomes UN rights council’s decision for arms embargo on Israel

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has welcomed the UN Human Rights Council’s resolution demanding a halt in arms sales to Israel, and calling for the occupying regime to be held accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement on Saturday, Hamas called the resolution “an important step on the path of pressuring the (Israeli) Occupation to stop its brutal and destructive war against civilians in the Gaza Strip.”

The group also called on “the international community and the United Nations to take practical measures to oblige countries and companies that supply weapons to the (Israeli) terrorist occupation entity to implement this resolution immediately.”

The statement demanded that countries, particularly the United States, “stop providing military and political support to the (Israeli) fascist occupation and its criminal army.”

On Friday, the 47-member UN Human Rights Council passed the resolution with 28 member states voting in favor, six opposed and 13 abstaining.

The strongly worded text called on countries to “cease the sale, transfer and diversion of arms, munitions and other military equipment to Israel… to prevent further violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights.”

It stressed that the International Court of Justice ruled in January “that there is a plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza. 

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The resolution also called for “an immediate ceasefire” and “for immediate emergency humanitarian access and assistance.”

Argentina, Bulgaria, Germany, Malawi, Paraguay, and the US voted against the motion brought by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation except Albania.

The Human Rights Council’s resolution repeatedly named Israel, demanding that the Tel Aviv regime end its military rule of all Palestinian territories and “immediately lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip and all other forms of collective punishment.”

It went on to express “grave concern at statements by Israeli officials amounting to incitement to genocide.”

And it urged countries to “prevent the continued forcible transfer of Palestinians within and from Gaza.”

The resolution warned in particular “against any large-scale military operations in the city of Rafah” in the south of the densely populated Gaza Strip, warning of “devastating humanitarian consequences.”

The vote came after the UN Security Council passed a resolution last week, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel waged its genocidal war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

The Tel Aviv regime has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed 33,173 Palestinians and injured 75,815 others.

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