After the US veto, China’s ambassador said people couldn’t help but ask, “Do Palestinian lives mean nothing?”
France said international humanitarian law was being violated and the only response should have been an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
Britain has said it wants to end the war, end the suffering in Gaza and secure the immediate release of all hostages.
But the harshest criticism of the US came from outside the Council’s doors.
United Nations Human Rights Watch (HRW) director Louis Charbonneau accused Washington of using its veto power “once again” to “ensure impunity for Israel as its forces continue to commit crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.”
Israel rejects the accusations. It says he has significantly increased the amount of aid going to Gaza and accuses aid agencies of not distributing it properly.
The current war began after Hamas militants broke across the border and attacked Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli estimates, and taking 253 hostages in Gaza.
Since then, more than 43,920 people have died in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.