A UN Security Council resolution calling for a truce in Israel’s conflict in Gaza was vetoed by the US on Wednesday, citing council members’ cynical rejection of any compromise efforts.
In a meeting, the council’s ten non-permanent members proposed a resolution that the 15-member body voted on.
The resolution demanded a “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” and separately demanded the release of hostages.
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The United States was the only country to vote against the resolution, blocking it with its permanent council veto.
According to reports, a senior US official, speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity prior of the vote, stated that the US would only support a resolution that expressly demands for the immediate release of hostages as part of a ceasefire.
“As we stated many times before, we just can’t support an unconditional ceasefire that does not call for the immediate release of hostages,” according to the official.
Israel’s 13-month campaign in Gaza has killed approximately 44,000 people and displaced almost the entire population at least once.
It was undertaken in reaction to a Hamas-led attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and kidnapped more than 250 captives.
