Anger, Dismay, After US Vetoes UN Ceasefire Resolution on Gaza 

The United States this week vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and the unrestricted delivery of humanitarian aid, prompting sharp rebukes from allies and adversaries alike as the war continues to devastate the enclave and isolate Israel diplomatically, the Associated Press reported. 

On Wednesday, the US cast its fifth veto since the war began 20 months ago, opposing a resolution that received the support of all 14 other council members.  

The resolution, which described Gaza’s humanitarian conditions as “catastrophic,” did not make the release of hostages a prerequisite for a ceasefire, nor did it explicitly condemn Hamas, or call for its disarmament – conditions for which the US and Israel had advocated.  

US diplomats and officials insisted that the proposal would undermine Israel’s security and ongoing diplomatic efforts, as well as empower Hamas. 

Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon welcomed the veto, saying that the resolution would have granted Hamas political cover.  

However, other council members condemned the move. China’s UN ambassador Fu Cong accused the US of shielding Israel’s violations of international humanitarian law. Ambassador Barbara Woodward of the United Kingdom – which typically aligns with Washington – called Israel’s expansion of military operations and aid restrictions “unjustifiable, disproportionate, and counterproductive.” 

Meanwhile, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israel-backed aid group involving private contractors that began distributing food last month, reopened two sites in Gaza’s Rafah on Thursday after suspending operations due to shootings near its locations, Reuters added. 

The GHF has distributed more than seven million meals in the Palestinian enclave but has been widely criticized by UN agencies for a lack of neutrality and for facilitating the displacement of Palestinians by limiting aid to Israel-controlled zones.  

Aid groups have warned that 2.3 million people remain at risk of famine. 

The reconfiguration of aid delivery comes amid reports that Israel is arming local Arab militias in southern Gaza to counter Hamas, according to the Times of Israel. 

On Thursday, opposition lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman alleged that the government provided weapons to a militia faction led by Yasser Abu Shabab, a controversial figure linked to criminal activity and, allegedly, Salafi jihadism. Defense sources confirmed that Israel handed Abu Shabab’s group Kalashnikov rifles, some captured from Hamas during the ongoing war. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office initially did not confirm the allegations, but later admitted to arming the groups, saying the move “saves the lives of Israeli soldiers,” the Wall Street Journal noted.  

Abu Shabab’s militia – known as the Popular Force – has claimed to be securing the aid convoys entering Israel through the southern border crossings. However, others, including Hamas, have accused his group of looting aid convoys. 

The war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas and its allies launched an assault in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken into Gaza.  

Israel’s military campaign has since killed over 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza health authorities.  

Also on Thursday, Israel recovered the bodies of Gadi Hagi and Judy Weinstein-Hagi. Dual citizens of America and Israel, the couple were killed during Hamas’s October attack, and their bodies were taken into Gaza. 

According to Israeli estimates, 56 hostages remain in captivity, although fewer than half are believed to be alive.