On June 4, 2025, the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in Gaza and for the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.” The resolution received support from 14 of the Council’s 15 members but failed to pass due to the US exercising its veto power under Article 27 of the UN Charter. As reported by JURIST, US Representative Dorothy Shea defended the veto, stating that the US “would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza.” Hamas condemned the US veto, calling it a “green light for war criminal Netanyahu.” The observer of the State of Palestine denounced what he called “engineered starvation” of the Palestinian population and questioned whether the Security Council has anything to say about Israel breaking the fundamental rules of international law and “of basic humanity,” asking: “Does that mean Israel can continue its destruction of the Gaza Strip—and all life within it—while the negotiations continue?”

The veto occurred amid continued violence in Gaza, with the International Committee of the Red Cross reporting its highest single-day casualty count of 179 weapon-wounded patients at its Rafah field hospital on June 3, 2025. The incident highlights ongoing tensions around humanitarian aid distribution, with reports of Palestinian casualties at aid centers operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization established in 2025 to replace UN-led aid systems. The UN has criticized Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian aid and accused it of using food as a weapon in the conflict. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, approximately 500,000 people in Gaza currently face starvation, with tens of thousands of children at risk of acute malnutrition. The US veto is not the first time Washington has blocked Gaza ceasefire resolutions since the current conflict began.