UN General Assembly to convene special session on Gaza

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is set to convene an emergency special session on Gaza on Tuesday, said Monica Grayley, the UNGA president's spokesperson.

"President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, has just informed member states that he will convene the 45th plenary meeting of the tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly on Tuesday, Dec. 12," the spokesperson said on Sunday.

Egypt and Mauritania formally requested a meeting, citing the UN General Assembly Resolution 377 "Uniting for Peace" in their letter to the UNGA president.

The letter highlighted the urgency of holding such a meeting after a Security Council draft resolution on Gaza ceasefire was vetoed by the United States.

The "Uniting for Peace" resolution gives the Assembly power to take up matters of international peace and security when the Security Council is unable to act due to unanimity among its five permanent members who have the veto power.