The United Nations Security Council has failed to pass a United States draft resolution calling for, but not demanding, a ceasefire in Israel’s continuing war on Gaza after two permanent members chose to veto it.

The draft put before the Council on Friday received 11 votes in favour, three against – from Russia, China and Algeria – and one abstention by Guyana.

Russia and China both exercised their veto against the resolution, which would have spoken of the “imperative of an immediate and sustained ceasefire” and condemned the October 7 attack by Hamas.

Russia and China vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution Friday that condemned Hamas for its October 7 attack against Israel authored by the United States. 

“Russia and China still could not bring themselves to condemn Hamas as terrorist attacks on October 7,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas Greenfield told the 15-member body which has yet to take a stand against the terror group.

“Can we just pause on that for a moment?,” Thomas-Greenfield said. 

Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-backed United Nations Security Council resolution that called for an “immediate and sustained ceasefire” in Gaza on Friday.

Eleven countries voted in favor of the resolution on Friday morning, while those two, along with Algeria, voted against it, and there was one abstention. This was the fourth attempt by the Security Council to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire, and the United States didn’t support any of the first three, none of which passed.