After arduous negotiations, the UN Security Council demanded on Friday a "wide-scale" increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, without calling for an immediate ceasefire which the United States rejects despite international pressure.

The resolution was adopted with the approval of 13 of the 15 council members, with two abstentions (the United States and Russia), calling on "all parties to allow and facilitate the immediate and safe delivery of unhindered wide-scale humanitarian assistance" to Gaza, and to take "urgent" measures in this regard and "create conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities."

The text also calls for the use of "all available entry and movement routes throughout the Gaza Strip" to deliver fuel, food, and medical equipment to all parts of the territory.

Council resolutions are binding, but that does not prevent some concerned countries from ignoring them.

Not an ideal text

UAE Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, who presented the text, commented, "We know it is not an ideal text, and we know that only a ceasefire will end the suffering," adding that despite this, the text "practically addresses the desperate humanitarian situation of the Palestinian people."

For its part, the Hamas movement said the resolution is "an insufficient step and does not meet the requirements of the catastrophic situation created by the Israeli military terrorism machine in the Gaza Strip."

The Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour described the resolution as "a step in the right direction," adding, "It must be implemented and accompanied by huge pressure for an immediate ceasefire."

Mansour stressed that the use of humanitarian aid as "a means of war must end now."

For his part, UN Secretary-General António Guterres considered that "a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons is the only way to meet the urgent needs of the population in Gaza and put an end to their ongoing nightmare," explaining that he "had hoped" for more from the council.

Guterres directly criticized Israel, saying that "the real problem" facing aid delivery to Gaza is the "Israeli assault."

Change of the text

The resolution text changed from the more ambitious version proposed by the UAE on Sunday, following long discussions under the threat of the United States once again using its veto power.

The reference to an "urgent and permanent cessation of hostilities" included in the Sunday draft, as well as the less direct request in subsequent drafts for an "urgent suspension of hostilities," were removed.

Russia submitted an amendment request to reinstate the call for an "urgent suspension of hostilities," but the United States objected to it while 10 countries approved and four abstained from voting.

Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya considered this "a tragic moment for the council," denouncing the "American blackmail."

Nebenzya added, "If this document had not received the support of several Arab countries, we would certainly have used the veto."

Amnesty International Chair Agnes Callamard deemed it "shameful" that the Americans threatened to use the veto "to weaken" the resolution.

An incomprehensible matter

Meanwhile, Oxfam official Sally Abou Khalil said that "not calling for a ceasefire is incomprehensible."

Council members sought to avoid the re-use of the veto, while Gaza residents face the threat of famine under Israeli retaliatory bombing in response to the unprecedented attack launched by Hamas on October 7.

The Security Council has faced widespread criticism for its inaction since the start of the war.

This is the second time the council has succeeded in issuing a resolution; the previous resolution issued on November 15 called for "humanitarian pauses," while five other texts were rejected over two months, including two due to the US veto, the last on December 8.

At that time, the United States blocked a draft resolution calling for a "humanitarian ceasefire," despite unprecedented pressure from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, which Israel considered unacceptable.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield affirmed that "it took long days and nights of negotiations to put things in the right place, but today, this council offers a glimmer of hope amidst overwhelming suffering."

"Good news"

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said, "It is good news that the United Nations has united in support of a resolution to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Negotiations on the new resolution were intense, particularly regarding the conditions for establishing a monitoring mechanism to ensure the "humanitarian" nature of aid.

The approved version proposes a system under the auspices of a UN "coordinator" responsible for "accelerating" the delivery process through "consultation" with the parties, meaning Israel will retain operational oversight of aid delivery.

After the UN vote, Israel said it would continue inspecting all aid coming into Gaza "for security reasons," and Israeli Ambassador Gilad Erdan stated, "It is clear that the United Nations cannot be trusted to monitor incoming aid."

A sensitive point

Another sensitive point is the absence of condemnation or even mention of the name "Hamas" in the text, which was criticized by Israel and the United States.

The text condemns "all acts of terrorism" as well as "all attacks against civilians," and calls for the "unconditional" release of all hostages.

The "International Rescue Committee," a non-governmental humanitarian organization, said "the Security Council's failure to demand an immediate and sustainable ceasefire is unjustified."

After the October 7 attack, which according to Israeli authorities left about 1,140 dead, most of them civilians, Israel pledged to "eliminate" Hamas and began a continuous bombing campaign on Gaza, which is also under a tight blockade and experiencing a wide-scale ground operation since October 27.

The Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled Gaza sector announced on Friday that the death toll from Israeli operations had risen to 20,057, mostly women and children, with more than 50,000 injured.

Expanded attack

On the ground, Israeli forces expanded their ground attack with a new incursion into central Gaza on Friday.

With hopes diminishing for a near breakthrough in ongoing talks in Egypt to persuade Israel and Hamas to agree on a new truce, reports emerged of airstrikes, artillery shelling, and fighting across the Palestinian territory.

The Israeli army ordered the residents of Al-Bureij in central Gaza to move south immediately on Friday, indicating a new focal point for the ground offensive that has already destroyed the northern part of the enclave, during which Israeli forces carried out a series of incursions in the south.