The United States on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hamas in Gaza.
The US was the only nation to oppose the resolution. Fourteen others, including the United Kingdom, voted in favor. There were no abstentions.
Dorothy Camille Shea, the United States ambassador to the UN, said the US opposed the resolution because it did not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza.
“(The resolution) is unacceptable for what it does say, it is unacceptable for what it does not say, and it is unacceptable for the manner in which it has been advanced,” she said in comments before the vote took place.
The US “has taken the very clear position since this conflict began that Israel has a right to defend itself, which includes defeating Hamas and ensuring they are never again in a position to threaten Israel. In this regard, any product that undermines our close ally Israel’s security is a nonstarter,” she added.
This is not the first time the US has vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution on Gaza. In November 2024, it vetoed one calling for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire, on the grounds it would not have secured the release of hostages.
The United Kingdom said it “regrets” that the latest resolution “was unable to reach a consensus.”
“The United Kingdom voted in favor of this resolution today because of the intolerable situation in Gaza,” the UK’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York Barbara Woodward said following the vote.
“We are determined to see an end to this war, secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas and alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian situation for Palestinians in Gaza,” she added.
Woodward described Israel’s expansion of its military operations in Gaza and its severe restrictions on aid as “unjustifiable, disproportionate, and counterproductive.”
Israel in mid May launched a major new offensive in Gaza it says is aimed at destroying Hamas and freeing hostages, sparking condemnation from the United Nations and aid organizations who warn civilians are bearing the brunt of the expanded assault.
The ambassador also said the UK condemned Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and demanded the militant group release all the hostages “immediately and unconditionally,” saying “Hamas can have no role in the future governance of Gaza.”
The ambassador also restated the UK’s position that “a two-state solution is the only way to bring the long-lasting peace, stability and security that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar thanked US President Donald Trump and the US administration “for standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel and vetoing this one-sided resolution in the UN Security Council.”
“The proposed resolution only strengthens Hamas and undermines American efforts to achieve a hostage deal,” he added in a post on X shortly after the voting.
The draft text had demanded “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties” and the “immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale.” It also demanded “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups.”
Israel launched the war in Gaza after Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups carried out a surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages. It was the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said the number of people killed by Israel’s offensive in Gaza in the wake of the October 7 attacks now exceeds 54,000, most of whom are women and children.