US Blocks UN Gaza Ceasefire Plan as Israeli strikes kill dozens, including children in tents
By Alpaslan Düven / London
The United States sparked international outrage on Wednesday after vetoing a United Nations resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza—just hours after Israeli airstrikes killed at least 16 Palestinians, including 12 sheltering in tents.
Washington’s lone veto torpedoed the Security Council’s first vote on the war since November, blocking a text that called not only for a ceasefire but also the unconditional release of hostages and unrestricted humanitarian aid.
The US—Israel’s strongest ally—argued that the resolution would “undermine” ongoing diplomatic efforts and accused it of “emboldening Hamas.”
“This resolution draws false equivalence between Israel and Hamas,” US deputy UN envoy Dorothy Shea told the Council, claiming it would derail progress toward a negotiated truce.
But critics say diplomacy has stalled while Gaza continues to bleed.
The draft resolution would have demanded an immediate and permanent halt to hostilities, the lifting of all aid restrictions, and urgent relief for a region the UN has described as facing a “catastrophic humanitarian situation.”
Tensions erupted just hours before the vote when Israeli airstrikes hit shelters in Gaza, killing 16 people, according to local emergency services. Twelve of the victims were reportedly taking refuge in a tent.
The previous day, 27 Palestinians were killed near a US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) site after Israeli troops opened fire. Israel has launched a probe, but the incident has only intensified scrutiny of the GHF, which critics argue is coordinating aid through Israel’s military—violating long-standing humanitarian principles.
Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, condemned the US veto, urging the Council to act before it’s too late.
“All of us will be judged by history,” he said. “How much did we do to stop this crime against the Palestinian people?”
Israel’s ambassador, Danny Danon, dismissed the resolution, insisting it would disrupt current relief operations and serve “political agendas.”
“It ignores the one party still endangering civilians in Gaza: Hamas,” he said.
Meanwhile, humanitarian agencies continue to report massive aid shortfalls in Gaza, with Israel allowing only a trickle of UN aid convoys since mid-May—nowhere near enough to meet the desperate needs of the population.
As global condemnation grows, Washington’s veto has drawn criticism from allies and rights groups who say the US is isolating itself on the world stage by shielding Israel from accountability.