After painstaking negotiations, and repeated postponements, the Security Council is expected today to proceed on a draft resolution intended to improve the situation regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, a text that has now been amended to the extent that it secured the approval of the US, which they did not want it to include a strong call for an end to Israel’s military operations.

Diplomatic sources said that a vote is planned today on the new text, which now has a very different tone from the one initially distributed by the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.

The new draft decision, obtained by AFP, calls for “urgent measures” to be taken in order to “immediately allow safe and unimpeded access” for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and “create the conditions for a lasting cessation of hostilities.”

The sentence stating that the SA calls for an “urgent and permanent cessation of hostilities” was deleted, as was the less pressing phrase of “urgent suspension of hostilities” in a later version.

“If the decision is presented as it is, we can support it,” said last night the American ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, judging that the text was not “weakened” and estimating that it will be supported by the Arab countries.

It remains to be seen whether the other member states of the SA, especially Russia, which has not stopped calling for the inclusion of the phrase referring to a “ceasefire”, are ready to “swallow” this text, which is “weakened” to a degree which “damages the credibility” of the Security Council, commented Richard Gowan of the think tank International Crisis Group.

As the devastating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to worsen amid the Israeli army’s onslaught since October 7, following Hamas’s unprecedented and bloody attack on southern Israel, the Security Council is under heavy criticism for its inaction.

No mention of Hamas

After the war broke out, the SA broke its silence only once, with the November 15 decision simply calling for “humanitarian pauses.” In two months, five more draft resolutions have been rejected, two due to US vetoes, most recently on December 8.

The US then blocked the UN’s adoption of a resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip, despite unprecedented pressure from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Israel called the text unacceptable.

As most member states seemed to want to avoid a new veto, the negotiations focused on the request to create an aid distribution monitoring mechanism, under the “sole” responsibility of the UN, to guarantee the “humanitarian” nature of the deliveries.

Israel – which wants to continue checks on aid convoys – opposed the mechanism and reference to “exclusive” UN control was deleted from the latest version of the draft consulted by AFP.

Another thorn: once again, there is no condemnation of Hamas, not even a mention of the Palestinian Islamist movement by name, which angers Israel and the US.

Israel’s civilian-military leadership vowed to “eliminate” Hamas after the attack which killed 1,140 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures available from Israeli authorities. Another approximately 250 people were abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip, of whom over a hundred were released at the end of November. There are still 129 hostages, according to the Israeli authorities.

According to Hamas’ health ministry, Israeli military operations have since killed 20,057 people in the Palestinian enclave, including at least 8,000 children and 6,200 women.