The United States has rejected a UN Security Council resolution that calls for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as Israel strikes in the enclaves killed nearly 100 Palestinians in the enclaves but killed them due to severe aid blockades.
The United States was the only country to vote against the measure on Wednesday, while 14 other members of the Council voted in favor.
The resolution also calls for the release of Israeli prisoners held in the Gaza Strip, but Washington said it was a "non-starter" because the demand for a ceasefire is not directly related to the release of prisoners.
In a speech before the vote began, Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea made her country opposed the resolution, which was brought by 10 countries on the 15-member board of directors, painfully saying that she said "not surprising."
“Since the beginning of this conflict, Israel has the right to defend its rights, including defeating Hamas and ensuring they have no ability to threaten Israel again,” she told the Council.
Chinese Ambassador Fu Kang said Israel's actions "cross every red line of international humanitarian law" and seriously violated UN resolutions. “However, these violations have not been stopped or held liable due to a country’s shield.”
Marwan Bishara, senior political analyst at Al Jazeera, pointed out that the U.S. veto made it "so isolated."
"Obviously, there is a party storm... with many countries," they are fighting the United States at the UN Security Council. Bishara added: "Only the United States tries to stop this integration and rising current against Israel and its actions in Gaza... Israel is not defending Israel's career and siege in Gaza."
Despite the global demand for a truce, Israel repeatedly rejected calls for an unconditional or permanent ceasefire, insisting that Hamas cannot continue to rule or stay in Gaza. It expanded military attacks in Gaza, killing and wounding thousands of Palestinians, and maintaining a brutal blockade on the enclaves, allowing only tightly controlled aids that are loomingly visible in famine.
At least 95 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday and more than 440 were injured, according to Gaza health officials.
Deir El-Balah reported: "The attacks have surged significantly. "He said Israel's ruthless strikes were made in central Gaza and throughout the territory.
Meanwhile, Israel's military warns that hungry Palestinians should not approach U.S.-backed aid allocation sites run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), saying the areas will be considered "fighting zones" and that it will stop aid throughout the day.
The move has occurred hundreds of people since Israeli forces opened fire on seekers on multiple occasions, killing more than 100 Palestinians.
Witnesses said Israeli soldiers opened fire on crowds seeking food before dawn on Tuesday. Hungry Palestinians scrambled to grazing cage-like lines for insignificant aid packages, then came under fire, which drew global anger.
The Israeli military admitted it was fired on people seeking assistance Tuesday, but claimed they opened fire when the "suspect" deviated from the prescribed route.
Reem al-Akhras's family was killed in a mass shooting in Israel on Tuesday in a hospital in southern Gaza to mourn her death.
"She went and brought us some food, and that's what happened to her," her son Zain Zidan said in tears. Her husband Mohamed Zidan said “unarmed people every day” were killed. “This is not humanitarian aid, it is a trap.”
The new aid allocation process (currently only from three locations) has been widely criticized by rights groups and the United Nations, which says it does not adhere to humanitarian principles. They also said that the U.S. private security and logistics workers, military aid, aid models are used.
United Nations Aid Director Tom Fletcher once again called on the United Nations and aid groups to assist people in Gaza, stressing that they have plans, supplies and experience.
"Open the intersection - all. Let lifesaving assistance carry out large-scale rescue assistance from all directions. Removal of restrictions on the aid we can bring. Make sure our fleet is not tied up by delays and denials."
The United Nations has long accused Israel and the illegal acts on the enclaves to hinder the delivery of aid and its distribution in Gaza. Israel accused Hamas of stealing aid, a group firmly denied it, and the World Food Programme has no evidence to support the allegation.
UNICEF spokesman James Elder is currently in Gaza, describing the “terror” he witnessed in just 24 hours. In Al-Mawasi's speech, Elder told Al Jazeera that hospitals and streets in Gaza were filled with malnourished children. "I saw teenage boys crying and showing me their ribs," he said, noting that the children were begging for food.
Since the war began in October 2023, the UN Security Council has voted on 14 resolutions related to Gaza and approved four. Wednesday's vote was the first since November 2024.
Hamas still holds 58 prisoners, one third of whom are considered alive, and most of the rest are released in a brief ceasefire agreement or other transactions.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the Israeli attack killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children.