US vetoes UNSC resolution on permanent Gaza ceasefire

NEW YORK: The United States has once again vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the lifting of restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid.

According to reports, 10 of the Council’s 15 members introduced the draft, and 14 voted in favour of it.

This marks the sixth time since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly two years ago that the US, as a permanent member, has exercised its veto against such resolutions.

Washington argued that UN resolutions could undermine peace negotiations and affect Israel’s right to self-defence as well as its ability to act against Hamas.

Critics, however, said that the US is merely shielding Israel from international accountability.

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Ahead of the vote, US representative to the UN Morgan Ortagus told the Council that the resolution failed to condemn Hamas or recognise Israel’s right to defend itself, and instead lent legitimacy to what she described as a false narrative favouring Hamas.

She said that members ignored US warnings over “unacceptable language,” prompting the veto.

The resolution expressed concern over reports of worsening famine and a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, condemned the use of starvation as a weapon of war, and voiced alarm over the expansion of Israeli military operations.

It reaffirmed states’ obligations under international law, including the protection of civilians and the rejection of forced displacement.

The resolution demanded three key measures: an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire respected by all parties; the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups; and the removal of all Israeli restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza.

The Israel offensive began after Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023, when armed fighters stormed southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has since devastated Gaza. The enclave’s health ministry reports over 60,000 Palestinian deaths, with countless others wounded. Aid groups describe Gaza as a humanitarian disaster zone, where food, medicine and safe shelter are in critically short supply.