WASHINGTON faced an international storm of condemnation on Tuesday night after it vetoed a United Nations security council resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Britain abstained in the vote, but all of the remaining 13 security council members backed the resolution, reflecting the strong support from countries around the globe for ending the war, which started with the surprise attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage.

Since then, more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s military offensive, the vast majority of them women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.