New York, New York - After days of wrangling, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for more humanitarian aid for civilians in the Gaza Strip on Friday, agreeing on a significantly watered-down text that allowed the US, Israel's biggest backer, to abstain.

The United Nations's most powerful body had postponed a vote on a new resolution on the Gaza war several times this week, after it appeared likely that the US, a permanent member of the council, would veto a draft proposed by the United Arab Emirates to protect the interests of Israel.

Massive concessions by the negotiators prevented the resolution from failing at the last second. A total of 13 of the 15 countries represented on the council voted in favor of the text, with Russia abstaining alongside the US.

The resolution, which is binding under international law, calls on Israel to ensure "immediate humanitarian access" to the Gaza Strip as well as the creation of "conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities." It "demands" all sides in the conflict allow the "safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale".

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On the contentious issue of how to check aid supplies going into Gaza, the council members agreed to appoint a responsible UN coordinator who should also ensure the acceleration of deliveries in cooperation with all actors.

However, other passages were deleted following pressure from the US, including a paragraph condemning "all violations of international humanitarian law, including all indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects".

A previously demanded immediate suspension of hostilities to allow aid deliveries was also not included.

A number of council members were dissatisfied with the text because of the significant weakening. Despite the resolution's binding nature, the consequences for Israel if it is violated are likely to be manageable.

The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, called the Security Council resolution "a step in the right direction", adding that it "must be accompanied by massive pressure for an immediate ceasefire".

And Hamas in a statement called the vote "an insufficient measure that does not respond to the catastrophic situation created by the Zionist (Israeli) war machine".

The United Arab Emirates' chief negotiator, Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, said: "We know this is not a perfect text. We know only a ceasefire will end the suffering."

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"In the coming period, unless we take drastic action. There will be famine in Gaza," she added. It came after the UN's World Food Programme warned that Gaza's population is at a "high risk of famine".

The humanitarian situation for the more than 2 million people in the Gaza Strip in the wake of 10 weeks of armed hostilities is considered dramatic. A recent UN study concludes that 577,000 people in the sealed-off coastal strip fall into the most severe category of hunger. In contrast, there are currently 129,000 people in the rest of the world who are at similar risk. Almost everyone in the Gaza Strip is suffering from hunger or displacement.

Israel sealed off and attacked the coastal area after the terrorist attack by the Palestinian militant organization Hamas on October 7.

In recent weeks, two similar draft resolutions failed due to US resistance. Washington has consistently stood behind Israel, saying moves by resolution could jeopardize ongoing diplomatic efforts on the ground.

So far, the UN Security Council had only passed a resolution on the conflict that is binding under international law with a humanitarian focus a few weeks ago.

The UN General Assembly, on the other hand, has already called for an end to the violence twice through resolutions. However, the resolutions of this body are not binding, but rather are considered symbolic.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres had also taken unusually strong measures to urge the Security Council to advocate for a humanitarian ceasefire.

The Hamas-run health ministry said more than 410 people had been killed in Israeli bombardment over 48 hours, including 16 in a strike Friday on the Gaza City district of Jabalia.