Members of the UN Security Council hold sideline meetings as they take a break at the United Nations headquarters on December 19, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago /Getty Images/AFP)
A much-delayed UN Security Council vote on a resolution calling for a halt to the Israel-Hamas conflict was postponed again on Wednesday as members wrangled over wording while the death toll in Gaza continued to rise.
Members of the council have been grappling for days to find common ground on the resolution, a vote on which was pushed back several times throughout Tuesday, after being postponed on Monday.
"The Security Council has agreed to continue negotiations today to allow for additional time for diplomacy. And the presidency will reschedule the adoption for tomorrow (Thursday) morning," said Ecuador's Jose Javier De La Gasca Lopez-Dominguez, who holds the council's rotating presidency.
“It’s being delayed again, we were told, until Thursday,” said Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo, who is reporting from the UN in New York.
The latest delay was at the request of the United States, a diplomatic source said.
Earlier today, around 100 Palestinians were martyred and hundreds others were injured within hours due to the massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces in various parts of Gaza Strip. Gaza health ministry said the death toll in the Palestinian territory tops 20,000.
