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.
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.
