NEW YORK: The UNSC on Thursday will try once again to approve a resolution calling for a halt in the war between Hamas and Israel following previous efforts to win Washington’s support fell short.
Diplomatic backbiting at UN headquarters in Manhattan — causing the vote to be delayed many times this week — has come against the backdrop of worsening conditions in the Gaza Strip and rising death toll.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is sponsoring a draft resolution on the war in Gaza, AFP reported. It calls for “the immediate suspension of hostilities to permit unhindered and safe humanitarian access, and for immediate measures toward a sustainable end of hostilities. AFP reported that the US deputy envoy to the UN Robert Wood hinted Thursday that Washington was still not satisfied with the recent draft.
Wood told reporters that they are still working on the draft and will be able to support it but they are not there yet. However, several diplomats hinted they were still hopeful a vote on resolution would be held Thursday.
Gaza: UNSC Resolution Stalled
The UAE’s envoy to the United Nations Lana Zaki Nusseibeh said that “the gap is narrowing” abut gave no hint of a timeline.
The UNSC have been grappling for days to find same ground on the resolution, a vote on which was pushed back many times since Monday.
Earlier, the US has used its veto twice to spoil resolutions opposed by Israel since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip. AFP reported that the latest delay was at the request of Washington, a diplomatic source added.
The draft also calls for all parties to enable unhindered deliveries of help by sea, air and land — as well as the creation of a monitoring system overseen “exclusively” by the United Nations.
The diplomatic battle came as the UN’s hunger monitoring system issued warning that every single person in war-hit Gaza is likely to face high levels of acute food insecurity in the upcoming six weeks.
The Government’s media office in Gaza said more than 20,000 people mostly women and children have been killed. As per media reports 8,000 children and 6,200 women have been killed by Israeli brutal attacks on Gaza since October 7.
