The U.N. Security Council approved a toned-down bid to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza on December 22 that stopped short of a call for a ceasefire, hours after Israel signalled it was widening its ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave.The U.S., which is Israel’s main ally and had threatened to veto the Security Council motion during days of wrangling, chose instead to abstain after language was changed on hostilities and monitoring aid, a move that let the vote go through.Washington has regularly backed Israel’s right to defend itself but has grown increasingly critical of the suffering of Gaza’s 2.3 million people amid a soaring death toll and a humanitarian crisis in the enclave.In its latest update on casualties, Gaza’s health ministry said 20,057 Palestinians had been killed and 53,320 wounded in Israeli strikes since the conflict started.The adopted Security Council resolution “calls for urgent steps to immediately allow safe, unhindered, and expanded humanitarian access and to create the conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities”.The initial draft had called for “an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities” to allow aid access.The U.S. and Israel oppose a ceasefire, believing it would only benefit Hamas. Washington instead supports pauses in fighting to protect civilians and free hostages taken by Hamas.The resolution also no longer diluted Israel’s control over all aid deliveries to Gaza.Israel monitors the limited aid deliveries via the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing.