The U.S. has blocked a Gaza ceasefire draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council – the fourth time it has used its veto power during the conflict to shield its ally, Israel.
Fourteen of the 15 Council members voted in favor of the draft, which demanded that the war in Gaza "must end immediately, unconditionally and permanently and all remaining hostages must be immediately and unconditionally released.”
Deputy US ambassador to the United Nations (UN) , Robert Wood, said the document "abandoned" the necessity for there to be "a linkage between a ceasefire and the release of hostages".
Critics of the veto sharply rebuked the US, with France saying it "deeply regretted" the move.
The vote was held as the UN warned that Palestinians were "facing diminishing conditions for survival" in parts of northern Gaza under siege by Israeli forces because virtually no aid has been delivered in 40 days.
Earlier this month, a UN-backed assessment said there was a strong likelihood that famine was imminent in areas of northern Gaza.
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