The United States once again vetoed a UN Security Council resolution Thursday that had demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, saying that the effort did not go far enough in condemning Hamas. The 14 other members of the United Nations' most powerful body voted in favor 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.

'US opposition to this resolution will come as no surprise,' Morgan Ortagus, a senior US policy adviser, said before the vote. 'It fails to condemn Hamas or recognise Israel's right to defend itself, and it wrongly legitimises the false narratives benefiting Hamas, which have sadly found currency in this council.' She added that other council members 'ignored' US warnings about the 'unacceptable' language and instead adopted 'performative action designed to draw a veto.'