KUWAIT CITY, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah expressed on Saturday his country's deep regret over the use of the veto in the United Nations Security Council against a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the rescue of the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
In the United Nations Security Council session on Friday, a resolution calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip", which was proposed by the United Arab Emirates and widely supported internationally, failed to pass. Among the 15 Security Council member states, 13 voted in favor of the resolution, Britain abstained, and the United States used its veto.
Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah emphasized that "a ceasefire and the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip are urgent humanitarian demands that must be achieved as soon as possible," pointing out that he fears "failure to pass the resolution will be considered a new license for the occupying forces to continue their killings, destruction, and displacement of the Palestinian people."
The minister also expressed serious concern about the Security Council's failure to respond to the warning from the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to invoke Article 99 of the UN Charter. Through this article, the Secretary-General drew the attention of the Council to the fact that what is happening threatens humanitarian order and the collapse of international peace and security.
Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah reiterated his firm position, calling for continued political and diplomatic efforts to meet the humanitarian needs of Palestinian civilians.
Israel has been launching massive airstrikes and a ground offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 and in which over 200 were taken hostage. On Tuesday evening, the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza said that the Palestinian death toll had risen to 16,248 as a result of Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip. ■
