US vetoes UN Security Council ceasefire resolution on Gaza first of three vetoes

The United States casts the first of three vetoes at the UN Security Council blocking resolutions calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. U.S. diplomat Robert Wood explains that "the resolution retains a call for an unconditional ceasefire. This is not only unrealistic but dangerous, it will simply leave Hamas in place." As Palestinian civilian casualties mount past 17,000, the U.S. veto isolates Washington internationally and fuels protests among Biden's Democratic base. The Biden administration argues it supports humanitarian pauses but not a permanent ceasefire that would allow Hamas to regroup.