United Nations (Reuters) – The United Nations Security Council will vote later on Wednesday on rival proposals by the United States and Russia for action on the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip, diplomats said.
Both countries seek U.N. Security Council resolutions to address shortages of food, water, medical supplies and electricity in Gaza. But the U.S. has called for pauses to allow aid to enter Gaza, while Russia wants a humanitarian ceasefire.
The 15-member council is due to vote at 3 p.m. EDT/1900 GMT. A Security Council resolution needs at least nine votes and no vetoes by the United States, France, Britain, Russia or China to be adopted.
It was unclear if either draft text had the minimum amount of support needed, which would then raise the question of whether Russia and the United States would veto each other.
The votes come after the council twice voted unsuccessfully last week – only five members voted in favor of a Russian draft resolution on Oct. 16 and then the U.S. vetoed a Brazilian draft text on Oct. 18, which had received 12 yes votes.
The United States proposed its own draft text on Saturday that initially shocked some diplomats with its bluntness in stating Israel has a right to defend itself and demanding Iran stop exporting arms to militant groups.
It has since toned down the overall draft, removing direct references to Iran and to Israel’s right to self-defense.
But Russia announced on Tuesday that it could not support the U.S. plan for action and put forward its own text.
Israel has vowed to wipe out the Hamas Islamist group that rules Gaza, after its gunmen burst through the barrier fence surrounding the enclave on Oct. 7 and rampaged through Israeli towns and kibbutzes, killing 1,400 people.
Israel has since pounded Gaza from the air, imposed a siege and is preparing for a ground offensive. Palestinian authorities say more than 5,700 people have been killed in the enclave. The U.N. says some 1.4 million are homeless.
