The 193-member UN General Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, with three-quarters of member states, including Croatia voting in favour.

The United Nations demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, and this resolution was vetoed by the U.S. in the Security Council last week.

On Tuesday, the U.S., Israel and eight more members, including two European countries — Austria and Czechia — voted against the resolution in the General Assembly, whereas the document was supported by 153 countries, including Croatia, and 23 members abstained.

The resolution is a non-binding document, however, it has a political weight.

The American ambassador to the UN, Linda Thoms-Geernfield, told the General Assembly before the vote on the resolution, that “indeed, there are aspects of this resolution that we do support.”

The U.S. “agree that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire and requires urgent and sustained attention. That civilians desperately need food and water, and shelter and medical care. That a devastating number of innocent people have been killed, and that civilians must be protected, consistent with international humanitarian law.”

The ambassador also calls for a realistic approach.

“Let’s be realistic here. This is a terrorist group that no Member State would tolerate living next to. So long as Hamas remains driven by its murderous ideology, any ceasefire right now would be temporary at the best and dangerous at worst. Dangerous to Israelis, who would be subject to relentless attacks. And also, dangerous to Palestinians, who deserve the chance to build a better future for themselves, free from Hamas – a group that hides behind innocent civilians rather than protects them, and that co-opts civilian infrastructure to wage conflict,” says the US diplomat.

In late October, the UN General Assembly held a vote on a resolution on a sustainable humanitarian pause in Gaza, and on that occasion, 14 countries, including Croatia, voted against the document, as there was no mention of Hamas’s terrorist attacks in the wording of that resolution.