
An injured Palestinian boy cries as rescuers try to pull him out of the rubble of a destroyed building following an Israeli airstrike in Bureij refugee camp, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. AP
During the session, the UNSC will also deliberate on a message to be delivered by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
On Wednesday, Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter in a letter to the UNSC, allowing him to bring to the Council's attention any matter that he deems a threat to international peace and security.
Palestine and the Arab and Islamic groups at the UN hope that Guterres’ message will encourage the US to refrain from voting rather than using the veto right, the sources said.
However, all parties have concerns that the "intense" pressure exerted by the US may impede the resolution from securing the minimum nine votes needed for its passage.
This pressure is aimed at avoiding resorting to the use of the veto and having to justify using it in front of the General Assembly, the sources explained.
Another Egyptian draft resolution on the situation in Gaza is still under negotiation. The sources expect the draft to be put to a vote next week.
On 15 November, the UNSC adopted a resolution calling for extending humanitarian pauses in the Gaza Strip, breaking its silence for the first time since the start of Israel's war on Gaza on 7 October.
Nearly a week later, a ceasefire was secured in Gaza with the mediation of Egypt, Qatar, and the US.
However, the week-long truce deal between Israel and Hamas, which allowed for the entry of some humanitarian aid through the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, collapsed on Friday after the Israeli side resumed its bombardments on the Gaza Strip.
The death toll in Gaza reached 17,177, with an additional 350 citizens killed in Israeli airstrikes in the past 24 hours.
Over 46,000 people have been injured since the beginning of the Israeli war, according to the Palestinian health ministry on Thursday.
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