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Resolution 2728 was a resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on 25 March 2024. Regarding the Israel–Hamas war, it expressed "deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip," and demanded an "immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire," as well as "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" and the "lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale." Fourteen of the Security Council's fifteen members voted in favor of the resolution, with one, the United States, abstaining from voting.

Israel–Hamas war
The Israel–Hamas war began after the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023, during which about 250 hostages were taken from Israel into the Gaza Strip. As of March 2024, around 100 of these hostages were still believed to be alive and in the custody of Hamas, which governs Gaza.

Over the course of the war, the United States tempered its support for Israel.

In 2024, Ramadan, a holy month in the religion of Islam, began on 11 March, and would end on 9 April.

United Nations resolutions
The Security Council of the United Nations (UNSC) is composed of fifteen members, five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—and ten non-permanent members, elected to two-year terms. Any of the five permanent members have the power to veto any UNSC resolution, which are otherwise adopted by a majority vote of the Council. UNSC resolutions are typically considered binding under international law.

In February 2024, the United States vetoed a Security Council resolution that demanded an immediate ceasefire, as the resolution did not include a condemnation of the 7 October attack. On 22 March, Russia and China vetoed a resolution drafted by the United States that would have called for an "immediate" ceasefire lasting roughly six weeks, conditional on the release of hostages.

Negotiation and amendments
Resolution 2728 was proposed by the ten non-permanent members of the Security Council. While the resolution would have initially called for a "permanent" ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the United States negotiated that it would instead call for a "lasting" ceasefire. Russia, which supported the use of the word "permanent," said that the lack of the word could allow Israel to "resume its military operation in the Gaza Strip at any moment" after the end of Ramadan on 9 April. The United States proposed an amendment to the resolution that would also condemn the 7 October attack, but ultimately dropped the demand.

Resolution text
"The Security Council,

Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,

Recalling all of its relevant resolutions on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question,

Reiterating its demand that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and in this regard deploring all attacks against civilians and civilian objects, as well as all violence and hostilities against civilians, and all acts of terrorism, and recalling that the taking of hostages is prohibited under international law,

Expressing deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip,

Acknowledging the ongoing diplomatic efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, aimed at reaching a cessation of hostilities, releasing the hostages and increasing the provision and distribution of humanitarian aid,

1. Demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire, and also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs, and further demands that the parties comply with their obligations under international law in relation to all persons they detain;

2. Emphasizes the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to and reinforce the protection of civilians in the entire Gaza Strip and reiterates its demand for the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale, in line with international humanitarian law as well as resolutions 2712 (2023) and 2720 (2023);

3. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter."

- United Nations Security Council Resolution 2728

Voting record
The resolution passed on 25 March 2024, with fourteen countries—Algeria, China, Ecuador, France, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Malta, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom—voting in favor, and one, the United States, abstaining.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, stated that the United States was "unfortunately not able to vote yes" on the resolution, as it "did not agree with everything in the resolution," including its lack of an explicit condemnation of Hamas.

Reactions
The Algerian ambassador to the United Nations, Amar Bendjama, proclaimed that "finally, the Security Council is shouldering its responsibility" and "responding to the calls of the international community."

Chinese representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said that "For the lives that have already perished, the Council resolution today comes too late," but that it "could still bring long-awaited hope" to the people of Gaza if fully implemented. The Chinese representative further said that UNSC resolutions are legally binding.

A spokesperson for the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that "We hope that the UNSC resolution will lead to a ceasefire agreement, the release of all hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid."

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, said on social media that a failure to implement the resolution would be "unforgivable."

The Israeli representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, called the resolution's lack of a condemnation of the 7 October attack a "disgrace."

Following the U.S. decision to abstain from voting, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a planned visit by an Israeli delegation to Washington, D.C., which would have discussed the planned Israeli military offensive in the city of Rafah. U.S. government spokesperson John Kirby said that American officials were "very disappointed" about the decision to cancel the delegation.

The office of Netanyahu said that the resolution "hurts both the war effort and the effort to release the hostages because it gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow them to accept a ceasefire without the release of our hostages." The Israeli foreign minister, Israel Katz, rejected the resolution, saying that "The State of Israel will not cease firing. We will destroy Hamas and continue fighting until the every last hostage has come home."

After Israel said that the U.S. abstention represented a "clear retreat" from its support of Israel, the United States said that its decision not to veto the resolution did not represent a shift in its policy towards the Israel–Hamas war, and that the resolution was not legally binding.

Hamas welcomed the resolution, saying that it was prepared to "to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides."

Riyad Mansour, the representative of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, welcomed Resolution 2728, but said that it was overdue, adding that "It has taken six months, over 100,000 Palestinians killed and maimed, two million displaced, and famine, for this council to finally demand an immediate ceasefire."