New York, New York - The UN General Assembly will vote Wednesday on a draft resolution that seeks an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic gesture after the US previously vetoed a similar action in the UN Security Council.

In addition to calling for "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire," the draft resolution seeks "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages," an accommodation of the US and other staunch allies of Israel.

The resolution, which is non-binding, also demands "immediate access" to widespread humanitarian aid for the Palestinians in Gaza, who have been subjected to more than a year of brutal Israeli siege and blockade.

Israel has killed at least 44,786 people in Gaza since October 2023, according to the territory's health ministry. The British medical journal Lancet and other experts believe the true number to be far greater, upwards of 186,000 as of July 2024.

Joke of the Day Joke of the Night for December 9, 2024: The best jokes to laugh the day away

"Gaza today is the bleeding heart of Palestine," Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour said last week during the Assembly's first debate on the resolution.

"The images of our children burning in tents, with no food in their bellies and no hopes and no horizon for the future, and after having endured pain and loss for more than a year, should haunt the conscience of the world and prompt action to end this nightmare," he continued, calling for an end to the "impunity."

Israel, meanwhile, has denounced the draft resolution ahead of the vote.

"If you truly want peace, it begins with dismantling this infrastructure of hate and the glorification of terror," Israeli UN ambassador Danny Danon claimed, in reference to humanitarian agency UNRWA, a handful of whose employees were accused by Israel of assisting with the October 7 attacks.

The draft resolution seeks to address "the need for accountability" by asking UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to present "proposals on how the United Nations could help to advance accountability."

Daily Horoscope Today's horoscope: Free daily horoscope for Tuesday, December 10, 2024

An earlier draft seen by AFP aimed to establish an international mechanism to help investigate and prosecute those who are responsible for violating international law against the Palestinians. But that language was not included in the draft resolution that will be put to a vote.

A second draft resolution up for a vote on Wednesday will call on Israel to respect the mandate of UNRWA and allow the agency to continue its "safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance" operations, after Israel voted to ban it.

The ban, which is due to take effect on January 28, sparked global condemnation, including from the US, which suspended additional funding for the UN agency last January following the unverified Israeli claims.