Israel-Gaza war: US vetoes UN Security Council demand for immediate ceasefire

The United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza on Friday. This diplomatic move isolated Washington as it continues to protect its ally, Israel. Thirteen members of the Security Council voted in favour of a brief draft resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates, while Britain abstained. The vote was held after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a formal warning to the 15-member council about the global threat posed by the two-month-long war.

'This isn't about isolation. It's about what we believe is the best approach to end this conflict as soon as possible and to facilitate more humanitarian aid to Gaza,' Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told reporters before the vote. 'We can't just snap our fingers and the conflict ends. This is a very complex situation,' he added. Palestinians injured in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip were taken to the hospital in Deir al Balah on Friday. The United States and Israel are against a ceasefire as they believe it would only benefit Hamas. Instead, Washington supports temporary pauses in the fighting to protect civilians and allow the release of hostages taken by Hamas in a deadly attack on Israel on October 7.

A seven-day pause, during which Hamas released some hostages and there was an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, ended on December 1. After several unsuccessful attempts to intervene, the Security Council last month called for pauses in the fighting to allow aid access to Gaza, which Guterres described as a 'spiralling humanitarian nightmare' on Friday. Israel has designated a safe zone in Gaza, but Palestinians and aid groups argue that it offers little relief. The US favours its own diplomatic efforts over Security Council action to secure the release of more hostages and urge Israel to better protect civilians in Gaza as it retaliates for the Hamas attack that Israel claims killed 1,200 people.