People speak during a Security Council meeting about Israel s war on Gaza at United Nations headquarters, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. AP
The draft resolution, which draws on last week's ruling by the International Court of Justice, "decides that Israel, the occupying Power, shall immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in Rafah."
Moreover, the draft "demands an immediate ceasefire respected by all parties, and also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages."
No vote on the text has been scheduled yet.
It comes after an emergency Security Council meeting held on Wednesday in response to an Israeli strike that killed 45 people at a tent camp in Rafah for displaced people on Sunday, drawing international condemnation.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was among the many leaders to voice revulsion at the bloodshed, demanding that "this horror must stop".
Chinese ambassador Fu Cong expressed hope for a vote this week as President Xi Jinping told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Beijing he was "deeply pained" by the situation in Gaza.
French UN ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said "it's high time for this council to take action. This is a matter of life and death. This is a matter of emergency."
US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, when asked about the draft resolution, said: "We're waiting to see it and then we'll react to it."
Brazil, whose ties with Israel have soured over the war, on Wednesday recalled its ambassador, further raising tensions between the two.
Meanwhile, the World Central Kitchen nonprofit organisation said it was stopping its operations in Rafah because of "ongoing attacks" in the southern city.
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