US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield uses her veto to block a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza (French)
Al Jazeera's correspondent said that the United States distributed a draft amended resolution for the sixth time to members of the UN Security Council regarding the war in the Gaza Strip, in parallel with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken embarking on a Middle Eastern tour to discuss mediation efforts to stop the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
The amended draft resolution recognizes the need for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides, allow the delivery of essential aid, and alleviate human suffering.
The draft resolution says it unequivocally supports the ongoing international diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire related to the release of all remaining hostages.
This move coincides with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken embarking on his sixth visit to the Middle East since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, as he arrived yesterday, Wednesday, in the city of Jeddah to hold talks with senior Saudi officials.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken is discussing in Jeddah and Cairo the mediation efforts being conducted by Qatar and Egypt between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel, as well as the efforts made to deliver more aid to Gaza.
The US State Department also announced that Blinken will visit Israel on Friday as part of his Middle East tour, after he visits Egypt on Thursday.
The Security Council previously failed to adopt an Algerian draft resolution that called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after Washington used its veto power.
Algeria's permanent representative to the Security Council, Ammar Benjameh, said that rejecting the draft resolution constitutes approval of starvation as a means of war against the Palestinians.
America used its veto in the Security Council for the third time against draft resolutions regarding the Israeli war on Gaza, which obstructed the demand for an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies