Pakistan calls for permanent Gaza ceasefire at UNSC
US vetoes Gaza ceasefire resolution
NEW YORK: Pakistan again pressed the United Nations Security Council to demand an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza on Friday.
Addressing the Council, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmed reaffirmed Islamabad’s “unwavering support” for the Palestinian right to self-determination and urged an end to Israeli military operations.
He said Pakistan “stands with humanity, justice and international law,” noting that Gaza’s civilians remain under relentless bombardment and blockade, with children starving, hospitals destroyed and families lacking food, medicine and shelter.
Ahmed stressed that Pakistan stands with the majority of Council members and the broader UN membership in reflecting the expectations of the international community for an urgent halt to the fighting.
Displaced Palestinians, fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, move southward after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, in the central Gaza Strip, September 18, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Displaced Palestinians, fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, move southward after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, in the central Gaza Strip, September 18, 2025. Photo: Reuters
US vetoes Gaza ceasefire: The United States on Thursday, again wielded its veto and thwarted a UN Security Council call for a ceasefire in Gaza at UN headquarters in New York City, US, shielding its ally Israel from meaningful diplomatic pressure.
The 14 other members of the Council backed the resolution, initiated in August in response to the UN’s official declaration of famine after nearly two years of Israel’s war on Hamas in the Palestinian territory. The vote came as Israeli tanks and jets pounded Gaza City, the target of a major new ground offensive, forcing Palestinians to flee south. The United States has repeatedly rejected that approach multiple times, most recently in June when it used its veto to back Israel. Monitoring Desk
