How long before Gaza ceasefire is enforced?

It took more than 18,000 people to be bombed to death in Gaza for the world to overwhelmingly vote for a ceasefire at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday. This means it took over two months for many of the countries to wake up to the atrocity Palestinians have been suffering in the hands of Israel. And finally, it took thousands of children losing their lives for US President Joe Biden to warn Israel, its longtime ally, against "indiscriminately" bombing civilians. Now the question is: what more will it take for the horror to actually end?

While the UNGA resolution passed on Tuesday is a milestone, with 153 out of 193 members voting in favour, the death toll will likely keep rising in the coming days as the resolution is non-binding and symbolic. Still, we can hope that this gesture will lead to a concrete decision for the sake of Gaza residents, as Israel's devastating actions are now accruing the disapproval of its allies. For example, Canada, which abstained from voting in favour of a ceasefire before, has changed its mind this time around. In fact, in a joint statement, the country, alongside Australia and New Zealand, said, "The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians."

But this hope quickly washes away because of a single UN member: the United States. It is ironic that the superpower that tries to act as the torchbearer of human rights has no qualms with bombing and displacing over two million people. In the latest round of voting, the US, unsurprisingly, rejected the resolution. The death and destruction could have been stopped by now, had the US, which has veto power, voted in favour of a UN Security Council resolution, a binding one, for a ceasefire on December 8. Judging by the country's UN track record, Biden's warnings seem to be lip service to appease the international community.

As we wait for more countries to recognise this barbarity, the Palestinians continue to see their loved ones dying before their eyes. According to the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, diseases are wreaking havoc in Gaza as the residents are pushed to huddle in a corner of the strip. Yesterday, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 27 Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip. Right now, we can only urge the world, especially the West, to be on the side of humanity and put an end to this genocide immediately through a ceasefire.