UN General Assembly demands Gaza ceasefire

The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly has approved resolutions demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and backing the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees that Israel has moved to ban.

The votes Wednesday in the 193-nation world body were 158-9 with 13 abstentions to demand a ceasefire now and 159-9 with 11 abstentions to support the agency known as UNRWA.

The votes culminated two days of speeches overwhelmingly calling for an end to the 14-month war between Israel and the militant Hamas group.

General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they reflect world opinion. There are no vetoes in the assembly.

Israel and its close ally, the United States, were in a tiny minority speaking and voting against the resolutions.