UN Security Council demands more aid to Gaza, stops short of calling for ceasefire

The UN Security Council has approved a resolution aiming to bring more aid into Gaza, following days of negotiations.

But the statement does not call for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas - instead calling to “create the conditions” for one.

The vote had been postponed for days after the US voiced “widespread concerns” with an earlier draft. Eventually, the US abstained in the final vote alongside Russia.

Earlier this month, 13 of the council’s 15 members supported a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, but the US vetoed it and the UK abstained.

The only other resolution that passed since Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities on 7 October, was the one sponsored by Malta, which called for “extended humanitarian pauses” in Gaza.

Meanwhile, another Israeli hostage has reportedly died while being held in captivity in Gaza

On Wednesday, the Hamas-run Gaza government said 20,000 people had been killed in the enclave since the war erupted.

Israel began its offensive after Hamas fighters crossed the border, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 240 others.