US vetoes UN resolution on Gaza ceasefire over hostage release condition

The United States has vetoed a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, stating that it did not make the release of hostages a condition.

The 15-member UN Security Council voted 14-1 in favour of a resolution that “demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire to be respected by all parties, and further reiterates its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”

The US was the only country to oppose the text. As one of the five permanent members with veto power — alongside Russia, China, Britain, and France — the US has the power to block the decision, which other countries do not have.

Deputy US ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, said on Wednesday that his country would only support a resolution that explicitly calls for the immediate release of hostages.

“Let me say this clearly, there are still seven American citizens in the hands of Hamas. We will not forget them. For our part, we will continue to pursue a diplomatic solution, that brings peace, security and freedom to Palestinians in Gaza," he told the UN voting chamber in Washington.

Separately on Wednesday, the Senate rejected an attempt by Bernie Sanders to block sales of offensive weapons to Israel for its war in Gaza over mounting civilian deaths.

The Vermont lawmaker and a small group of Democrats sought to put legislation up for a Senate vote that would block the sale of some tank and mortar rounds and smart-bomb kits to Israel. The first attempt to block the sales was rejected overwhelmingly, and two more were expected to go down to defeat.

Sanders, in making the case for stopping the sales, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “has not simply waged war against Hamas. It has waged an all-out war against the Palestinian people.”

Israel’s blistering war of retaliation in the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 44,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. Some 1,200 people in Israel were killed in the 7 October attack, mostly civilians, and another 250 were abducted. Around 100 hostages remain inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Ceasefire deal in Lebanon

Meanwhile in Lebanon, a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah was showing signs of progress. However, Israel’s defence minister says his country wants the right to act militarily against Hezbollah in any agreement to end the fighting.

Lebanon’s government is likely to view any such demand as an infringement on its sovereignty, complicating efforts to end more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that erupted into all-out war in September.