WASHINGTON: Palestine's United Nations (UN) envoy Riyad al-Mansour slammed the UN Security Council's failure to adopt a draft resolution seeking a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza on Friday, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
The United States (US) vetoed the resolution co-sponsored by nearly 100 UN member states. It received the support of 13 Security Council members. The United Kingdom (UK), which like the US is a permanent council member with veto power, abstained.
Mansour called the failure "beyond regrettable" and "disastrous."
"Instead of allowing this council to uphold its mandate by finally making a clear call, after two months, that atrocities must end, the war criminals are given more time to perpetuate their crimes. How can this be justified? How can anyone justify the slaughter of an entire people?" he said.
Mansour reiterated his call for a ceasefire, saying "every further day means lives lost, people killed at an unprecedented pace in modern history."
The draft resolution called for all parties to the conflict to adhere to international law- particularly the protection of civilians, demanded an immediate humanitarian cease-fire and called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to report to the council on the cease-fire's implementation.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), which introduced the draft, said it worked to expeditiously complete the resolution due to the mounting number of dead over the 63-day war.
Over 17,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to official figures from Gaza authorities.
Women and children constitute about 70 per cent of all those who have died, with more than 46,000 others wounded. Roughly 1.8 million Palestinians have been internally displaced.
– BERNAMA-ANADOLU