A UN Security Council vote on a resolution calling for a suspension of fighting in Gaza has been delayed for a third day. Diplomats have been trying to come up with a text that would avoid a US veto. President Biden has said the world must put pressure on Hamas, not just Israel. The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again stressed his commitment to continuing the offensive until Hamas is destroyed. The Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, has been holding talks in Cairo on the situation in Gaza.

Also in the programme: "chaos" at elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and a new French immigration law creates divisions within government.

(Photo: A woman reacts, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. CREDIT: REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

Pressure is growing for a further halt to the Israel-Gaza war. The leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, has arrived in Cairo for talks on a fresh ceasefire in Gaza and Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said his country is ready for another humanitarian pause.

Efforts to get a United Nations Security Council ceasefire motion are set to resume after Tuesday's vote was delayed. The US says it is working with other members on the text, but it has vetoed previous resolutions.

(Photo shows smoke rising in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel on 20 December 2023. Credit: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

The United States says it's working with other members of the UN Security Council to resolve outstanding issues on a draft resolution calling for a suspension of hostilities in Gaza. The vote has already been delayed for more than a day, amid continuing efforts to find wording that would persuade the US, Israel's strongest ally, not to use its veto. The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, has said his country is ready for another humanitarian pause to enable more hostages to be released and more aid to be delivered. Hamas has said that it won't negotiate an exchange of prisoners as long as the Israeli military operation continues in Gaza.

Also on the programme: the couple who sold a 4.2 million dollar mask for 160 dollars; and Marvel drops one of its biggest stars.

(Photo: U.N. Security Council moves towards a vote to demand aid access for Gaza, in New York. CREDIT: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

One of the world's biggest shipping companies, Hapag Lloyd, has told Newshour that the Houthi militia attacks targeting ships they believe are bound for Israel are making it too risky to sail through the Red Sea.

The US says 10 countries have agreed to form a coalition to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea after attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Also in the programme: The Icelandic foreign minister tells us about a spectacular volcanic eruption; and we'll hear about the Pope's support for a blessing for same-sex couples.

(Fiile photo showing Hapag-Lloyd containers in Hamburg, Germany on 31 March 2023. Credit: Phil Noble/Reuters)

The United States has promised to form an international coalition to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen; we hear from a leading expert on piracy and maritime terrorism.

(Photo: A view of the British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship Galaxy Leader, which was reported to have been captured by Houthis in the southern Red Sea, in this handout image taken near Queensland, Australia November 27, 2018. Credit: Reuters)

When the gavel came down at the global climate summit in Dubai last week, the deal struck by more than 200 hundred participants was heralded by its supporters as ground-breaking and historic. Critics of the agreement - aimed at limiting global warming to less than 1.5*C - say it's toothless and full of loopholes.

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, has told Newshour that he's focusing on putting the deal into action. But some question whether the transition the deal talks about will happen quickly enough.

Also in the programme: As media mogul Jimmy Lai pleads not guilty to security charges in Hong Kong -- another pro-democracy leader now in exile tells us why this trial matters; and why Chileans have rejected a second attempt to reform the country's constitution.

(Photo shows John Kerry speaking at a press conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on 13 December 2023. Credit: Martin Divisek/EPA)

As aid passes through a second border crossing, the Israeli military says it’s found a Hamas tunnel stretching for more than four kilometres below Gaza.

Also on the programme: we hear from the UN team of health workers that has been to Gaza's main hospital; and the life of the Croatian American wine maker Mike Grgich who has died aged 100.

(Image: Palestinians gather to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 17 December 2023. Credit: Reuters/Tabatibi)

Pressure mounts on the Israeli government to bring back hostages held by Hamas; but what are the chances of negotiation mediated by Qatar?

Also in the programme; a controversy in Germany over the awarding of a political prize; a snap election in Serbia; and Carlos Lyra, one of the men behind the popularity of bossa nova music has died.

(Picture: Relatives and supporters hold signs as they rally for the release of hostages kidnapped on the deadly October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, December 16, 2023. Credit: REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura)

The pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a new deal with Hamas on hostages is increasing. Mr Netanyahu said the fighting in Gaza would continue. We hear from Sharon Lifshitz, her mother was taken hostage by Hamas and freed a month ago but her father remains captive and she calls for a change of strategy from the Israeli government.

Also on the programme: a Vatican court has sentenced a cardinal to five years for embezzlement; and the indirect consequences of Israel's war on Hamas are making the world's biggest shipping companies suspend sailings through the Red Sea.

(Picture: People rally for the release of hostages kidnapped on the deadly October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Credit: REUTERS/Amir Goldstein)

The Israeli army says three hostages killed in Gaza by the Israeli military had been holding up a white cloth on a stick. Also, we hear from a war crime expert on allegations of genocide in Gaza.

Plus, we’ll look at the legacy of the leader of Kuwait, Emir Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who's died at the age of 86; and the breakthrough in understanding what causes sickness in pregnancy, and how it could lead to treatment for the 1% of mothers who get the severe form which can be deadly.

(Picture: People prepare the grave during the funeral of Samer Talalka, a member of Israel's Bedouin Arab minority who was mistakenly killed by the Israeli military while being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas. Credit: Clodagh Kilcoyne/REUTERS)