The draft Security Council resolution, seen by multiple news agencies, calls for “an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access.”
Austin said on X, formerly known as Twitter, after his arrival in Israel that he would also use his talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to “reiterate America’s ironclad commitment to Israel” and enable the flow of aid into Gaza.
Truckloads of aid have been reaching Gaza, and Israel last week opened another crossing for deliveries to enter, but the U.N. humanitarian agency said the 121 trucks that entered Saturday were far below the 500 per day that were carrying aid to Gaza before the war.
A Security Council resolution earlier this month calling for a humanitarian cease-fire failed as the United States used its veto to halt the measure. The U.S. and Israel have argued that a cease-fire would benefit Hamas.
The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly supported a similar resolution shortly after, but its resolutions are non-binding.
During a visit to Israel Sunday, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna called for an "immediate truce" aimed at releasing more hostages, getting larger amounts of aid into Gaza and moving toward "the beginning of a political solution."
British Foreign Minister David Cameron and his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, also called for a “sustainable cease-fire” in Gaza in a joint article published in Britain’s Sunday Times.
"Israel will not win this war if its operations destroy the prospect of peaceful co-existence with Palestinians," they wrote.
Israel vowed to destroy Hamas, which governs Gaza, after the militant group sent fighters into Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the U.S., U.K, EU and others, also took about 240 people hostage. More than 100 of the hostages remain in Gaza.
The Israeli offensive has killed more than 18,700 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says the conflict has forced an estimated 85% of Gaza’s population from their homes, with many of them trying to find a safe place to stay at U.N. shelters in southern Gaza that are several times over their intended capacity.
UNRWA said 135 of its staff members have been killed and 115 of its installations have been damaged since the conflict began in early October.
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
