The Palestinian delegation to the United Nations is blocking a Security Council initiative aimed at expressing the organization's concern over the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Since the militant Hamas faction violently seized control over the coastal territory in mid-June, border crossings between Gaza and its neighbors Israel and Egypt have largely remained closed, limiting the transfer of food and supplies into the Strip.

Hamas routed rival faction Fatah in the takeover, and thus the resolution of the humanitarian crisis stands in conflict with the interests of the Fatah-affiliated Palestinian delegation to the UN.

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Senior UN officials reported Friday that the Palestinian representatives have been relentlessly operating in recent days to foil an initiative ultimately aimed at issuing a Security Council presidential statement criticizing the situation in the Gaza Strip.

A presidential statement is typically issued when the council is unable to attain a passing vote on a resolution, and is non-binding. However, such a statement requires a consensus among the 15 member states. These statements are meant to apply political pressure and to warn that additional action could follow, and are usually accompanied by a press statement.

Reports from the UN headquarters in New York reveal that Qatar, a member of the Security Council, formulated at least two drafts for the final presidential statement on the Gaza humanitarian crisis. The second draft was formulated in efforts to appease the Palestinians.

However, according to sources, the Palestinian delegation has opposed any move on the behalf of the Security Council regarding this issue.

"This situation is absurd," a Western diplomat told Haaretz. "It is obvious that it is in the Palestinian delegation's best interest to conceal the fact that Hamas is in control of the Gaza Strip," he said.