Diplomats at the United Nations Security Council have postponed the vote on a resolution aimed at boosting humanitarian aid to Gaza until Friday.
The United States has declared its support for the latest iteration of a resolution advocating “urgent measures” to enhance access to humanitarian aid in Gaza. Diplomatic sources have indicated that the vote on the revised resolution is anticipated on Friday. Formulated on Thursday, the new resolution calls for immediate actions to facilitate safe and unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance while working to establish conditions for a lasting cessation of hostilities.
Barak Ravid reported early Friday morning about two important changes that were introduced to Friday’s UNSC resolution on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza by the UAE, altering the resolution to exclude a call for suspension of hostilities, and a call to establish a UN inspection mechanism in Gaza.
According to Ravid, these two changes were needed for the US not to Veto the resolution.
This updated resolution departs from the original version’s call for an “urgent and permanent” cessation of hostilities. It also omits a plea for an “urgent suspension” of hostilities.
Initially slated for Monday, the vote has faced successive delays, with the most recent postponement announced on Thursday evening.
A report issued for the UN on Thursday by IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) determined that Gaza’s entire population, estimated at more than 2.2 million, is facing crisis or worse levels of hunger, with the risk of widespread famine increasing every day.
According to the report, the hostilities have caused catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity across the Gaza Strip. Around 85 percent of the population (1.9 million people) is displaced and currently concentrated in an increasingly smaller geographic area.
There is a risk of famine and it is increasing each day the fighting continues. Between November 24 and December 7, more than 90% of the population in the Gaza Strip (about 2.08 million people) was estimated to face high levels of acute food insecurity. Among these, more than 40% of the population (939,000 people) were in an emergency phase, and more than 15% (378,000 people) were in a catastrophic phase.
The IPC report warned that between December 8 2023 and February 7, 2024, the entire population in the Gaza Strip (about 2.2 million people) is classified as under crisis or worse. This is the highest share of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity that the IPC initiative has ever classified for any given area or country.
Among these, about 50% of the population (1.17 million people) is in an emergency phase, and at least one in four households (more than half a million people) is facing catastrophic conditions. These are characterized by households experiencing an extreme lack of food, starvation, and exhaustion of coping capacities.
The IPC report warns that even though the levels of acute malnutrition and non-trauma-related mortality might not have yet crossed famine thresholds, these are typically the outcomes of prolonged and extreme food consumption gaps. The increased nutritional vulnerability of children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and the elderly is a particular source of concern.
