The UN Security Council convened on Thursday to vote on a resolution initiated by Algeria regarding Gaza. The resolution demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, without condemnation of Hamas, without demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages, and at the same time demanded the lifting of restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid.
The proposal received the support of 14 member states, but the United States vetoed its passage.
Morgan Ortagus, Counsellor at the US Mission to the UN, said: “US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise. It fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimises the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this Council…Gaza has humanitarian needs because of Hamas, because the international community turned a blind eye to the true use of billions of aid it provided.”
Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, condemned the resolution, saying, "For some members of the Council, this is a performance. For Israel, this is a daily reality. The proposal was presented without condemnation of Hamas, without condemnation of the October 7 massacre, and without a demand for Hamas to disarm. This is not diplomacy, this is surrender."
The ambassador added, "Those who truly care about the future of Gaza should work to remove Hamas from Gaza. As long as the hostages are held by this brutal terrorist organization, there is and will be no ceasefire. Israel will continue to apply military pressure until all the hostages are returned."