Washington supports pauses, instead of a ceasefire, to protect civilians and allow for the release of hostages taken by Hamas in a deadly Oct 7 attack on Israel, AFP reports.

Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour said Arab ministers would discuss the draft Security Council resolution with US officials during a visit to Washington this week.

“On top of the agenda is this war has to stop,” he told reporters asArab UN ambassadors stood with him. “A ceasefire has to take place andit has to take place immediately.”

“The UAE draft resolution has the support of the Arab and OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) group. This is a moral and humanitarian imperative and we urge all countries to support the call of the Secretary-General,” the UAE mission to the UN posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.