Russia and China veto US resolution calling for immediate cease-fire in Gaza

Russia and China on Friday vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. resolution calling for “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in theIsrael-Hamas warin Gaza to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 millionhungry Palestinians.

The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 11 members in favor, three against and one abstention.

Before the vote, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Moscow supports an immediate cease-fire, but he questioned the language in the resolution and accused U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield of “misleading the international community” for “politicized" reasons.

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on a United States-sponsored resolution declaring that “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in theIsrael-Hamas warin Gaza is “imperative” to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 millionhungry Palestinians.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she was optimistic that thenew, tougher draft resolutionwould be approved Friday by the 15-member council.

The draft being put to a vote “determines” which is a council order “the imperative of an immediate and sustained cease-fire,” with no direct link to the release of hostages taken during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which wasin the previous draft. But it would unequivocally supportdiplomatic efforts “to secure such a cease-firein connection with the release of all remaining hostages.”