UN Security Council votes to increase aid into Gaza - but doesn't call for immediate ceasefire

22 December 2023, 17:28 | Updated: 23 December 2023, 00:40

By Kieran Kelly

@kellyjourno

The United Nations Security Council has approved a resolution that will aim to bring more aid into Gaza - but did not call for an immediate ceasefire.

The United States and Russia, both of which are permanent members of the Security Council, abstained on the vote.

All 13 other members voted in favour of the resolution.

The foreign secretary David Cameron said: "It’s good news that the UN has come together to back a resolution to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza."

Speaking after the vote, US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the council had created the conditions for more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

"This resolution speaks to the severity of this crisis," she said.

Meanwhile, the United States also said Hamas had "no interest" in peace, as the council failed to call for an immediate ceasefire.

"We must work towards a future where Israelis and Pal can live side by side in peace, this is the only way forward," the ambassador added.

Read More: Israeli shelling in Lebanese border town ‘kills elderly woman’

Read More: Israel’s campaign in southern Gaza will last for months, says defence minister

The UK's representative said: "It is heart-breaking to see children in the rubble of their destroyed homes, not knowing where to find food or water, not knowing where their parents are.

“We were the first country to call on Israel to open more crossings."

Which countries are members of the security council?

Permanent members:

• China
• France
• Russian Federation
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• United States of America

Other members

• Albania 
• Brazil 
• Ecuador
• Gabon
• Ghana 
• Japan
• Malta
• Mozambique
• Switzerland
• United Arab Emirates

On Thursday, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said more than 20,000 people have been killed since the war began.

It began after Hamas' terror attack on Israel on October 7, in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed.