The United Nations Security Council has voted in favour of a resolution to speed up the delivery of aid to Gaza.
The resolution demands all parties allow and facilitate the use of all humanitarian routes.
It also has requested the appointment of a senior UN official to coordinate and monitor aid delivery.
Thirteen countries of the 15-member council voted in favour of the resolution, and none voted against, on Friday.
The United States, which traditionally votes along Israeli lines, abstained - along with Russia.
#BREAKING UN Security Council ADOPTS resolution calling for urgent steps to allow safe, unhindered and expanded humanitarian access throughout Gaza; US and Russia abstain
VOTE
In Favor: 13
Against: 0
Abstain: 2 (US, Russia)
Our coveragehttps://t.co/5rdk8T8onc pic.twitter.com/8uaKQph6Dl— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) December 22, 2023
The toned-down resolution stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.
US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, described it as "a glimmer of hope amongst a sea of unimaginable suffering."
"We believe the humanitarian resolution before us calls for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities," she said.
“This is a strong step forward".
She also said all hostages must be released "immediately and unconditionally" and that humanitarian groups must be able to access hostages, including for medical visits.
Delays
The resolution includes a commitment to "create conditions for the sustainable cessation of hostilities" in the Gaza Strip.
It comes after days of delays and high-level diplomatic talks involving the US, Western allies and Arab nations over the UN resolution.
The vote was thrown into limbo on Thursday after the US voiced "widespread concerns" with the draft.
Washington had raised fears the resolution as drafted "could actually slow down delivery" of humanitarian aid by creating an "unworkable monitoring mechanism".
Israel had also insisted on maintaining the lead on inspections of aid deliveries into Gaza.
The resolution had also been delayed over language used in the draft, calling for a sustainable cessation of hostilities in Gaza.
The resolution now calls for "creating the conditions" for one.
'Humanitarian catastrophe'
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has previously warned that Gaza faces "a humanitarian catastrophe" and a total collapse of the humanitarian support system will lead to "a complete breakdown of public order and increased pressure for mass displacement into Egypt".
Earlier this month, the US vetoed another resolution - backed by almost all other council members and dozens of other nations - demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
Washington claimed that a ceasefire would only plant the seed for a future war between Israel and Hamas.
A resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly last week had called for an 'immediate humanitarian ceasefire'.
Some 153 countries, including Ireland, voted in favour of that resolution.
Any such resolution by the General Assembly is not legally binding, but is seen as highly symbolic.
On October 7th Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing over 1,000 Israelis and kidnapping hundreds more.
Israel responded by declaring war on Hamas and since then some 20,000 people in Gaza have been killed by Israeli bombardment.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have also killed several people being held hostage by Hamas after they were "mistakenly identified as a threat".
Additional reporting: IRN
