U.N. pushes for more aid into Gaza, Israel widens offensive

Tel Aviv [Israel], December 23: The U.N. Security Council approved a toned-down bid to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza on Friday that stopped short of a call for a ceasefire, hours after Israel signalled it was widening its ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave.
The U.S., which is Israel's main ally and had threatened to veto the Security Council motion during days of wrangling, chose instead to abstain after language was changed on hostilities and monitoring aid, a move that let the vote go through.
Washington has regularly backed Israel's right to defend itself, but has grown increasingly critical over the suffering of Gaza's 2.3 million people amid a soaring death toll and a humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
In its latest update on casualties, Gaza's health ministry said 20,057 Palestinians had been killed and 53,320 wounded in Israeli strikes since the conflict started.
The adopted Security Council resolution "calls for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities". The initial draft had called for "an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities" to allow aid access.
The U.S. and Israel oppose a ceasefire, believing it would only benefit Hamas. Washington instead supports pauses in fighting to protect civilians and free hostages taken by Hamas.
The resolution also no longer diluted Israel's control over all aid deliveries to Gaza. Israel monitors the limited aid deliveries via the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has vowed to eradicate Hamas, the Islamist group that runs Gaza, after the group's fighters launched a cross-border raid into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
After Friday's vote, Israel's ambassador to the U.N. said the Security Council should have focused more on the hostages. "The U.N.'s focus only on aid mechanisms to Gaza is unnecessary and disconnected from reality - Israel is already allowing aid deliveries at the required scale," Gilad Erdan said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said his country would "continue the war until all hostages are released and Hamas in the Gaza Strip is destroyed".
In a statement, Hamas said it viewed the U.N. resolution on humanitarian aid to be insufficient to meet Gaza's needs.
Israel has faced mounting global criticism over the plight of Gazans as it pursues the war. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the way Israel is conducting its military operation is "creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid" inside the enclave.
Earlier, Israel said 5,405 aid trucks - carrying food, water and medical supplies - have entered Gaza since the start of the war. Aid groups say only a fraction of what is needed is coming in. A report by a U.N.-backed body said on Thursday the risk of famine is growing every day.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation