WASHINGTON 

The vote on a UN Security Council resolution calling for a suspension of hostilities in Gaza to deliver aid was postponed on Wednesday for the third day in a row. 

On Thursday, 15 members of the Council are expected to vote on the resolution, which was first postponed on Monday.

The text, drafted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), calls for the urgent suspension of hostilities to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian access and for urgent steps toward a sustainable cessation of hostilities.

Reaffirming that all parties to conflicts must adhere to their obligations under international law, it also requests that a UN monitoring mechanism be deployed expeditiously.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, killing over 20,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 52,586 others, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins with half of the coastal territory's housing stock damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely-populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, while more than 130 hostages remain in captivity.