UN to vote again on Gaza ceasefire

The UN Security Council is expected to vote on Wednesday on another draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in its latest attempt to exert pressure to end the Israeli war.

However, the draft could be blocked by the United States, Israel's main ally.

The latest draft of the resolution demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" in the war and "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages."

The wording has angered Israel and raised fears of a US veto.

The Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, has called the text "shameful," adding: "We cannot allow the UN to tie the hands of the State of Israel from protecting its citizens, and we will not stop fighting until we return all the kidnapped men and women home."

"For us, it has to be a linkage between a ceasefire and the release of hostages," said Robert Wood, the deputy US UN ambassador. "It has been our principal position from the beginning and it still remains."

Reporting by AFP