UN push for Gaza aid stalls amid US objections

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As Gaza sinks deeper into humanitarian despair, the threat of a US veto has once again delayed a UN Security Council vote meant to pause fighting and boost aid to the war-torn Palestinian enclave. 

The 15-member UN body is now scheduled to vote Thursday morning on a resolution put forward by the United Arab Emirates, the latest draft of which, according to the Associated Press, calls for the United Nations, rather than Israel, to be put in charge of inspecting food, fuel and other assistance entering the Gaza Strip. 

During a Wednesday news conference, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested the proposed UN inspection mechanism could complicate aid access. The US is seeking a formula, he said, that “doesn’t do anything that could actually hurt the delivery of humanitarian assistance.”