The United States vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution on Wednesday that demanded an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants, stating that the resolution wasn’t linked to release of hostages and would have emboldened Hamas. All the other 14 members of the UN Security Council voted in favour of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” with a 2 million population staring at famine and aid trickled in only after Israel removed its restrictions under international pressure after 11-week blockade. Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told UNSC the draft resolution would undermine America’s efforts to broker a ceasefire deal, adding “The United States has been clear: We would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza,” Reuters reported. The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Gaza. This resolution would’ve only served to advance the interests of Hamas terrorists, while undermining diplomatic efforts. Any @UN measure should clearly condemn Hamas and call for them to disarm and leave Gaza. The… — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) June 4, 2025 The draft resolution also lacked two other US demands, including condemnation of Hamas’ deadly attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, which led to the war and that Hamas militants must disarm and retreat from the territory of Gaza. The veto by the US comes when Israel relaunched its offensive against Gaza after ending a two-month ceasefire in March. I thank the United States for demonstrating moral clarity and leadership at the UN Security Council by vetoing the one-sided resolution against Israel. The resolution that was brought to a vote called for a ceasefire in Gaza without conditioning such a ceasefire on the immediate… pic.twitter.com/jaNg45sv1w — Danny Danon 🇮🇱 דני דנון (@dannydanon) June 4, 2025 According to Gaza health authorities, Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed 45 people in Palestine while the Israeli military said one of their soldiers died during the fighting. Detailing about the council’s Gaza ceasefire resolution, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement said “Hamas could end this brutal conflict immediately by laying down its arms and releasing all remaining hostages.” Israel has already rejected calls for a permanent or unconditional ceasefire, stating that Hamas cannot stay in Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas condemned the veto of the draft resolution by the US, alleging a US administration’s “blind bias” towards Israel.
