Status: 08.12.2023, 22:26 p.m.
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Security Council meeting at UN headquarters in New York. © Loey Felipe/XinHua/dpa
A draft humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza war fails despite broad support in the UN Security Council. The U.S. vetoes it out of consideration for its ally Israel.
New York - A draft resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza war has failed in the UN Security Council.
13 of the 15 members of the panel voted in favor in New York, but the U.S. vetoed the bill introduced by the United Arab Emirates. Britain abstained. Previously, similar attempts had already failed due to resistance from the United States. The U.S. has always backed Israel, stating that such a resolution could jeopardize ongoing diplomatic efforts on the ground.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the UN Security Council to push for such a humanitarian ceasefire. In a letter to the Council, he referred to Article 99 of the UN Charter. It allows the Secretary-General to draw the attention of the Security Council to "any matter which, in his opinion, may jeopardize the guarantee of international peace and security" and, according to the UN, has not been applied for decades.
The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel's history, which was carried out by terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7 in Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip. More than 1200 people were killed. The subsequent Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have killed more than 17,400 people, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health. Dpa