The United States on Friday (Saturday AEDT) vetoed a United Nations resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has launched hundreds of strikes, relief efforts were faltering, and people were growing so desperate for basic necessities that some were stoning and raiding aid convoys.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres and most members of the Security Council had backed the measure, saying that the humanitarian catastrophe in the coastal enclave where 2.2 million Palestinians live could threaten world stability.