The United States has once again vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, marking its sixth such block since the conflict began in October 2023. The vote, held on Thursday, saw all 14 other council members, including allies France and the United Kingdom, support the draft resolution, which also called for the release of hostages and the lifting of Israeli aid restrictions.
The ensuing war has claimed over 65,000 Palestinian lives, as reported by Gaza’s health ministry, with an additional 435 deaths attributed to malnutrition and starvation in the past two years.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a critical point, with the UN confirming famine in Gaza City. The UN’s humanitarian office warned that the crisis is worsening due to Israel’s expanded ground offensive, which has severely restricted aid access.
“Famine has been confirmed—not projected, not declared, confirmed,” Denmark’s UN Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen told the council ahead of the vote.
Tensions escalated further with a recent UN Human Rights Council report, released this month, concluding that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza—a finding that has intensified global calls for intervention.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism and deepened the isolation of the U.S. and Israel on the global stage, especially as the UN General Assembly convenes next week in New York. Key allies, including the UK, are expected to push for recognition of an independent Palestinian state, adding pressure to an already fraught diplomatic landscape.