US vetoes UN resolution demanding immediate ceasefire in Gaza

The United States vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution on June 4 calling for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza, becoming the only member of the 15-nation council to vote against the measure. 

The other 14 members voted in favour, Caliber.Az reports, citing Axios.

The resolution, which was not tied to the release of the 58 hostages still held by Hamas—including four Americans—also expressed deep concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and demanded the “immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid.”

The draft supported the efforts of the Trump administration, Egypt and Qatar to reach a new ceasefire agreement, and demanded "the immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups."

Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea defended the veto, saying the resolution didn't condemn Hamas, didn't call it to disarm and didn't call on it to leave Gaza.

Shea emphasised Hamas had rejected several US proposals for a ceasefire and hostage deal.

“We can't allow the Security Council to reward Hamas' intransigence,” she said, adding that the resolution “draws false equivalence” between Israel and Hamas and undermines US  efforts to broker a deal.

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar thanked the US for vetoing the draft resolution. 

“I thank President Trump and the US administration for standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel and vetoing this one-sided resolution in the UN Security Council. The proposed resolution only strengthens Hamas and undermines American efforts to achieve a hostage deal,” he wrote on X.

Negotiations between the US, Egypt, and Qatar with Hamas remain ongoing, with pressure mounting on the militant group to revise its stance on the latest American proposal.

This marks the first time the US has exercised its veto power on Gaza-related resolutions during the second Trump administration.

By Sabina Mammadli