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Gaza Truce Talks Bog Down Over Disputes on Aid Inspections [1]

['Farnaz Fassihi', 'Patrick Kingsley', 'Aaron Boxerman', 'Michael Levenson', 'More About Farnaz Fassihi', 'More About Patrick Kingsley', 'More About Michael Levenson']

Date: 2023-12-20

The top political leader of Hamas was holding talks with Egyptian officials on Wednesday about a possible truce in its war with Israel in the Gaza Strip, as the United Nations Security Council separately worked frantically to craft a resolution to suspend the fighting that would not draw a veto from Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States.

The talks in Egypt were taking place as concerns in Israel grow over the fate of the dozens of hostages still being held in Gaza, and as pressure grew on the Israelis to stop their military campaign and allow more desperately needed aid into the devastated enclave.

Diplomats at the U.N. Security Council were engaged in their own intense negotiations in New York on Wednesday over a resolution that would call for extended pauses in the war, allow more aid into Gaza by land, air and sea, and urge the immediate release of all the hostages being held by Hamas.

A vote had initially been scheduled for Monday, but was delayed repeatedly, including on Wednesday, and is now not expected until Thursday morning at the earliest.

Council members have been fielding multiple last-minute requests by the Biden administration, according to several diplomats who spoke on the condition that they not be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The United States vetoed two previous cease-fire resolutions.

The diplomats said the United States was concerned about part of the resolution calling for the establishment of a United Nations monitoring system to screen aid deliveries into Gaza. They said Israel had urged the United States to reject the monitoring system, because it would leave Israel with no role in searching cargo entering Gaza.

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[1] Url: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/20/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-un.html

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