The United States has again used its veto, blocking the fourth UN Security Council resolution on Gaza since the war began. The comprehensive resolution called for an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire." UN News writes:
United States vetoes Security Council draft resolution that would have demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of all hostages RESULT: In Favor: 14 Against: 1 (US) Abstain: 0
The text of the draft resolution did not link or condition the call for permanent ceasefire on the release on the hostages held by Hamas. The US has identified this as the reason for the veto.
A US official ahead of the vote made clear that the US will only support a resolution explicitly calling for the release of all remaining hostages as a key part of the 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," the official said.
The US official also alleged that Russia and China were conspiring to isolate the US, pushing the vote toward forcing Washington into being the lone veto:
Some of the council’s 10 elected members (E10) were more interested in bringing about a US veto than compromising on the resolution, the official said, accusing Russia and China of encouraging those members.
“China kept demanding ‘stronger language’ and Russia appeared to be pulling strings with various [elected] 10 members,” the official said. “This really does undercut the narrative that this was an organic reflection of the E10 and there’s some sense that some E10 members regret that those responsible for the drafting allowed the process to be manipulated for what we consider to be cynical purposes.”
The draft resolution not only demanded "an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire" but also the "immediate access [to] humanitarian assistance." The resolution mentioned the release of all hostages and prisoners, but failed to specifically condition it as part of a ceasefire.
Israel has long stood accused of blocking the free flow of humanitarian aid into the Strip. More recently, Palestinian groups looted some 100 aid convoy trucks in the south of the Strip.
The situation is still desperate, and most estimates say that well over 40,000 Gazans have been killed since the Oct.7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel. Israel's military is showing sights of staying in the Strip for an indefinite period, as whole sections of central and northern Gaza are being bulldozed, and military infrastructure erected in its place.