What's happened
The US has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, citing concerns about disrupting hostage negotiations.
Why it matters
The US veto has prompted widespread criticism from rivals and allies alike, reflecting the strong global support for ending the devastating conflict that has killed thousands of Palestinians.
What the papers say
The US expressed concerns about disrupting hostage negotiations, while other countries and world leaders criticized the US for vetoing the resolution and accused it of endorsing the violence and collective punishment inflicted upon Palestinians.
How we got here
The conflict in Gaza has been ongoing for over four months, with increasing international pressure on Israel over the high civilian death toll and urgent assistance needed for the population suffering from severe malnutrition and the spread of infectious disease.
More on these topics
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The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.
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Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, that borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km border.
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The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization that aims to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations.
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The United Nations Security Council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and approving any changes to the UN
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The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs, are an ethnonational group comprising the modern descendants of the peoples who have lived in Palestine continuously over the centuries and who today are largely culturally and
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Rafah is a Palestinian city in the southern Gaza Strip. It is the district capital of the Rafah Governorate, located 30 kilometers south of Gaza City. Rafah's population of 152,950 is overwhelmingly made up of former Palestinian refugees.