U.S. Blocks U.N. Security Council Condemnation of Gaza Incident

By Yoni Weiss

In the face of American opposition, Arab nations were unsuccessful in securing immediate support on Thursday night at the U.N. Security Council for a statement holding Israeli forces responsible for the reported deaths of over 100 Palestinians in northern Gaza during an aid convoy incident.

Following an emergency closed council meeting, Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour informed reporters that 14 out of 15 council members backed the statement proposed by Algeria, the Arab representative. Algeria’s draft declaration expressed “deep concern” and attributed the situation to the use of force by Israeli forces.

The United States did not endorse the statement, with U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood stating to reporters, “The parties are working on some language to see if we can get to a statement. The problem is that we don’t have all the facts here,” emphasizing the need for wording that reflects “necessary due diligence with regards to culpability.”

Hamas accused the IDF of causing 104 deaths in the early morning hours of Thursday. The military, however, denied firing at the aid convoy crowd, acknowledging opening fire on Gazans approaching soldiers and a tank at an IDF checkpoint. The IDF argued that most casualties resulted from a stampede, with fewer than 10 attributed to Israeli fire.

Mansour revealed he had met earlier with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, urging the Security Council to condemn the killings and pursue those responsible. He emphasized the need for a ceasefire to prevent such massacres from recurring.

On Thursday, the White House expressed deep concern over the incident in Gaza City, while Israel shared drone footage countering responsibility for the mass deaths amid international criticism of its Gaza offensive.