US vetoes UN Security Council call for immediate Gaza ceasefire and release of hostages

A UN Security Council resolution that called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of captives was vetoed by the US on Thursday, the sixth time the US has done so regarding the Gaza war at the UN's most powerful body.

All 14 other members of the Security Council voted in favour of the draft resolution that also called on Israel to remove all limitations on relief deliveries to the 2.1 million Palestinians living in Gaza, but the US envoy said the text did not denounce Hamas or recognise Israel's right to defend itself. a

“US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise,” Morgan Ortagus, a senior U.S. policy adviser, said before the vote.

“It fails to condemn Hamas or recognise Israel’s right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimises the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council.” She added that other council members “ignored” US warnings about the “unacceptable” language and instead adopted “performative action designed to draw a veto.”

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, expressed disappointment with the US veto. “I can understand the anger and frustration and disappointment of the Palestinian people who might be watching this session of the Security Council, hoping that there is some help in the pipeline and this nightmare could be brought to an end,” Mansour said.

“I can imagine the anger and frustration that it did not happen,” he added.

The vote came just days before the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly, where Gaza will be a major topic and major US allies are expected to recognise an independent Palestinian state, a largely symbolic move vehemently opposed by Israel and the US.

The US veto of the resolution also comes as about half of Americans say the Israeli military response in the Gaza Strip has “gone too far,” according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Latest resolution tied ceasefire to release of hostages

Drafted by the council's ten elected members, each of whom has a two-year term, the resolution went beyond earlier versions to emphasise what it refers to as the "deepening of suffering" of Palestinian civilians.

The effort reiterated demands from previous versions, including the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other militant groups following their 7 October 2023 surprise attack in southern Israel that launched the war in Gaza.

In opposing similar resolutions since November, the US had complained that the demands, including a ceasefire, were not directly linked to the unconditional release of hostages and would only embolden Hamas militants.

The new resolution expressed “deep alarm” after a report released last month by the world’s leading authority on food crises said Gaza City has become gripped by famine, and that it’s likely to spread across the territory without a ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid.

Analysts believe the outcome of Thursday's vote further highlights US and Israeli isolation on the world stage over the nearly two-year war in Gaza.

Last week, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to support a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and urged Israel to commit to a Palestinian state.