Frustration as US vetoes sixth UN resolution for Gaza ceasefire

The United States has once again vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Israel continued to heavily pound the famine-stricken Palestinian enclave.

The resolution, drafted by the 10 elected members, called for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. 

It also demanded that Israel lift all restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and called for the unconditional release of all Israeli captives held by Hamas.

Fourteen of the 15 council members voted in favour of the proposal, with only the United States voting against. 

It marks the sixth time the US has used its veto to block such measures since the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza nearly two years ago.

The US veto was met with frustration amid an overwhelming global consensus in favour of a ceasefire. 

Algeria’s representative, Amar Bendjama, addressed the Palestinian people directly following the vote: “Forgive us,” he said. 

“Forgive us, because this Council could not save your children – more than 18,000 of them have been killed by Israel.”

He continued: “History will not weigh our speeches; it will weigh our deeds. Shame on helplessness. Shame in the face of genocide unfolding before our open eyes.”

Bendjama warned that the Security Council now risks failing a third time to stop genocide, as it did in Rwanda in 1994 and Bosnia in 1995.

He added that the UN Security Council now risks failure a third time to stop genocide, as it has in the 1994 Rwanda and 1995 Bosnia genocides.

Pakistan’s representative, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, described the veto as a “dark moment in this Chamber.” 

"The world is watching. The cries of children should pierce our hearts," he said.

China accused the United States of abusing its veto power.

'Shame on helplessness. Shame in the face of genocide unfolding before our open eyes'

- Amar Bendjama, Algeria's representative to the UN

Ahead of the vote, Denmark’s UN Ambassador, Christina Markus Lassen - speaking on behalf of the 10-member - highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis.

“Famine has been confirmed in Gaza - not projected, not declared, but confirmed,” she said.

“Meanwhile, Israel has expanded its military operation in Gaza City, further deepening the suffering of civilians. This catastrophic situation - this humanitarian and human failure - is what has compelled us to act today.”

The vote came days after Israel announced the start of a ground offensive in Gaza City, aiming to seize the city ahead of a full occupation of the Palestinian enclave.

Israeli fighter jets heavily bombarded Gaza City late on Thursday as tanks advanced into the area, where hundreds of thousands of people are left without shelter or food.

Since the beginning of its genocide in Gaza in October 2023, Israel has relentlessly bombed civilians while besieging the entire population.

As a result, the Strip has been pushed into famine, with most homes levelled, creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces have killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, at a daily rate of nearly 90.

More than 80 percent of those killed are civilians, including an estimated 20,000 children.