US vows more arms, Israel faces calls for a ceasefire in Gaza

US forms 10-nation coalition to counter Houthi blockade of Israeli cargo vessels in Red Sea

Israel faced another round of global pressure on Tuesday for a ceasefire in Gaza with a new UN vote and fresh Western diplomatic efforts, although the United States vowed to continue arming its ally.

The UN Security Council was set to convene Tuesday to weigh a call for a ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian territory after a previous bid was vetoed by the United States.

UK Foreign Minister David Cameron was also due to meet French and Italian leaders to push for a “sustainable ceasefire” in the conflict, his office said.

The Gaza health ministry says Israel’s brutal military response has killed more than 19,400 people, mostly women and children.

The ministry said an Israeli strike killed at least 20 people on Tuesday in the southern city of Rafah, near the border with Egypt.

On a visit to Israel, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed Monday to keep arming its ally, which Washington has already provided with billions of dollars in military aid.

“We’ll continue to provide Israel with the equipment that you need to defend your country… including critical munitions, tactical vehicles and air defence systems,” Austin said.

Austin was touring the Middle East as concerns grew over the war’s spread around the region, with Yemen’s Houthis attacking international shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians.

Austin announced the formation on Monday of a 10-nation coalition to quell the rising number of Houthi attacks on tankers, cargo ships and other vessels in the Red Sea.

The coalition includes the United States, United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, Austin said.

In the latest incidents, Houthi fighters said Monday they had attacked two “Israeli-linked” vessels in the Red Sea.

The UN Security Council had been scheduled to vote on a ceasefire resolution on Monday. A draft of the resolution had called for an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities” in Gaza to allow “safe and unhindered humanitarian access”.

Read More: At least 90 killed in latest Israeli attacks on Gaza’s refugee camp

However, the United Arab Emirates, which had introduced the latest text, requested the vote be postponed to Tuesday to allow for complex negotiations to continue, diplomatic sources told AFP.

Qatar, which helped mediate a week-long truce and captive-prisoner exchange last month, has also said there are “ongoing diplomatic efforts to renew the humanitarian pause” outside of the UN process.

The Gaza war has also seen violence spiral in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinians in a West Bank refugee camp Monday, the Palestinian health ministry said, taking the toll in the occupied territory to over 300 during the Gaza war.