The veto came as Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he told visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel plans to launch a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah with or without US support.

The United Nations Security Council on Friday turned down a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and an Israel-Hamas hostage deal after Russia and China vetoed the measure proposed by the United States.

The resolution, on which Algeria also voted no and Guyana abstained, called for an immediate and sustained ceasefire lasting roughly six weeks that would protect civilians and allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Eleven of the 15 council members voted for the resolution, but the Russia and China vetoes stopped its passage.

The council will meet at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Monday to vote on an alternative resolution drafted by elected members of the Security Council, a diplomat said.

The vote was planned for Saturday but was postponed because discussions were ongoing, the diplomat added.

That resolution, a draft copy of which was seen by Reuters, demanded an immediate ceasefire for the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the release of all hostages and an expanded flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

The draft does not include provisions supporting ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire - an element of the U.S. resolution.

Washington has been working with Qatar and Egypt to try to broker a deal.

U.S Had Toughened Its Stance:

Friday was the first time Washington had backed a text that came up for a vote with the word "ceasefire" in it during the war in Gaza, reflecting a toughening of the Biden administration's stance toward Israel.

Earlier in the five-month-old war, the U.S. was averse to the word ceasefire and vetoed measures that included calls for an immediate ceasefire.

"The vast majority of this council voted in favor of this resolution, but unfortunately Russia and China decided to exercise its veto," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council.

She accused Russia and China of vetoing the resolution for "cynical" and "petty" reasons.

She said they opposed it simply because it was penned by the U.S. and criticized both countries for not condemning Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Above | United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres

Source | France24