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US vetoes UN Security Council resolution demanding immediate Gaza ceasefire

Published:Wednesday | June 4, 2025 | 9:43 PM
In this photo provided by the United Nations, members of the UN Security Council vote to approve its first resolution endorsing a ceasefire plan aimed at ending the eight-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Monday, June 10, 2024. (Eskinder Debebe/U
Eskinder Debebe
In this photo provided by the United Nations, members of the UN Security Council vote to approve its first resolution endorsing a ceasefire plan aimed at ending the eight-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Monday, June 10, 2024. (Eskinder Debebe/United Nations via AP)

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza because it was not linked to the release of hostages, saying it would embolden Hamas militants.

All 14 other members of the council voted in favour of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as “catastrophic” and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory.

The resolution before the UN's most powerful body also did not fulfil two other US demands: It did not condemn Hamas’ deadly attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, which ignited the war, or say the militant group must disarm and withdraw from Gaza.

Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea, speaking to the council immediately before the vote, said the resolution would undermine the security of Israel. a close US ally, and diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire “that reflects the realities on the ground.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the resolution would only have empowered Hamas. “Hamas could end this brutal conflict immediately by laying down its arms and releasing all remaining hostages,” he said in a statement.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon thanked the United States for refusing to abandon the hostages.

He said the resolution’s failure to make the release of hostages a condition for a ceasefire would have put all the pressure on Israel and handed Hamas “time, leverage and political cover.”

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