The United States has again vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" in Gaza, a vote that coincided with Israel disregarding a UN deadline to end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.
The draft resolution, put forward by Denmark on behalf of the Council's 10 elected members, received 14 votes in favour.
It expressed "grave concern at Israel's ongoing expansion of its military operation in Gaza and the deepening of the suffering of civilians as a result."
It also demanded that Israel "immediately and unconditionally" lift restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid, while rejecting "any attempt at demographic or territorial change" in Gaza.
US disputes UN reports of Gaza famine
Denmark's UN envoy Christina Markus Lassen said the resolution was focused on three urgent demands.
"The sole intent of this resolution is to ease suffering and contribute to the end of this abhorrent war," she said before the vote.
But US deputy special presidential envoy to the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, said Washington's opposition "will come as no surprise," arguing the text "fails to recognise the reality on the ground that there has been a meaningful increase in the flow of humanitarian aid."
She defended Israel and disputed UN reports of famine.
The document expressed "deep alarm" at a UN-backed report confirming famine is already occurring in parts of Gaza and projected to expand to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September.
It condemned "any use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare" and reiterated calls for the "immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups."
Thursday's decision marked the sixth time since October 2023 that the US has vetoed Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli army has pursued a genocide against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 64,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, rejecting international demands for a ceasefire.
The dead include some 11,000 Palestinians feared buried under rubble of annihilated homes.
Experts, however, contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
Israel disregards UN deadline on occupation
The Security Council vote came the same day Israel disregarded a 12-month deadline set by the UN General Assembly to end its occupation of the occupied West Bank and blockaded Gaza.
The assembly adopted the resolution on September 18, 2024, with 124 votes in favour and 14 against, demanding Israel end its "unlawful" occupation within a year.
It said the occupation constituted a continuing wrongful act under international law and reaffirmed Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
Instead of withdrawing its troops, Palestine's UN mission said Israel had "further entrenched its unlawful occupation and presence in Palestine through genocide, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing."
The mission said Israel's actions defied the UN Charter, the ICJ's advisory opinion of July 2024, and the General Assembly resolution.
The ICJ opinion had declared the occupation unlawful and called for it to end "as rapidly as possible."
Over the past year, Israel has escalated its genocide in Gaza, reducing large parts of the territory to rubble and pushing its population into famine conditions.
In the occupied West Bank, illegal Zionist settlement expansion and forced displacement of Palestinians have intensified.
Palestine's UN mission said the situation demonstrates Israel's disregard for international law.
"This is the impact of continued impunity," it said.
