The US submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council (UNSC) calling for an "immediate ceasefire linked to the release of hostages" in the Gaza Strip, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
The US has vetoed all Security Council draft resolutions to end the conflict, blocking a demand for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Arab nations, led by Algeria, put a draft resolution to a vote last month with little expectation that it would pass after the US – Israel’s key ally – warned it would not back the text and proposed a rival draft instead.
Mr Blinken announced the latest draft during a visit to Saudi Arabia, on his sixth tour of the region since Israel launched its war on Gaza.
"We have in fact submitted a resolution which is now before the Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire linked to the release of the hostages, and we very much hope that countries will support it," Mr Blinken told Saudi media outlet Al Arabiya on Wednesday evening.
US officials had been negotiating an alternative text after blocking an Algerian draft resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza at the end of February.
That alternative, which focuses on support for a six-week truce in exchange for the release of hostages, had little chance of winning approval, diplomatic sources said.
A new version, seen by AFP, emphasised "the need for an immediate and durable ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides, enable the delivery of essential humanitarian aid and alleviate suffering ... in conjunction with the release of hostages still held" in the enclave.
Mr Blinken held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah. Arab foreign ministers and a senior Palestinian official will meet Mr Blinken in Cairo on Thursday as he pushes for a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas.
He will meet foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan, as well as a senior official from the UAE and Hussein Al Sheikh, General Secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's executive committee, an Egyptian Foreign Ministry note said. Mr Al Sheikh is a confidant of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as an intermediary with Israel.
Mr Blinken has said he would use his regional tour to hold talks on arrangements for the governance, security and redevelopment of Gaza after the conflict, as well as efforts for lasting regional peace.
