UNSC vote on Gaza-Israel cease-fire postponed
Men pray at sunset as people sit by a fire outside one of the tents housing Palestinians displaced by Israel's ruthless attacks on Gaza Strip, Dec.18, 2023. (AFP Photo)


The U.N. Security Council's vote on a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza, which was scheduled to take place Monday, was postponed to Tuesday, diplomatic sources said.

The United Arab Emirates, which had introduced the draft resolution calling for an urgent cessation of hostilities in Gaza, has requested that the vote, scheduled for Monday, be postponed by one day, a source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The U.S. government said on Monday that it is working on a new agreement for the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

"I can't say that we are at a point where another deal was imminent," said National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby in Washington.

He added that a potential deal should again include cease-fires and humanitarian aid. "We are working literally every day on this on the ground and back here in Washington."

According to a media report, the head of the Israeli secret service Mossad is sounding out new negotiations for the release of the hostages. Mossad chief David Barnea is advising CIA Director William Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Abdulrahman Al Thani in Warsaw, the Haaretz newspaper reported.

Kirby did not confirm the CIA chief's trip and referred to the U.S. Secret Service.

According to Israeli estimates, around 110 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas is also not releasing the bodies of several kidnapped people.