The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness
Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Tel Aviv from Cairo on Friday, as the push for a cease-fire between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel continues. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

U.N. resolution on cease-fire vetoed; Blinken and Netanyahu diverge over direction of war

clock icon
2 min

The United Nations Security Council on Friday failed to pass a resolution introduced by the United States condemning restrictions on aid to Gaza and calling for a cease-fire with no stated time limit — a provision that had contributed to the U.S. veto of previous resolutions. China and Russia, permanent members of the Security Council, vetoed the measure. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Friday. After the meeting, Netanyahu said he remained set on a ground incursion into the densely packed Gazan city of Rafah — despite warnings from world leaders against such an attack.

Key updates
Skip to end of carousel
David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, is set to join cease-fire negotiations in Doha with CIA Director William J. Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdel al-Thani and Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel. Blinken told reporters Thursday that the gap between Israel and Hamas on negotiations was “narrowing.”
In a joint statement Friday, Britain and Australia called for an “immediate cessation of fighting in Gaza to allow aid to flow and hostages to be released as a crucial step toward a permanent, sustainable cease-fire.” European Union leaders also called for an “immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable cease-fire” on Thursday — the first time E.U leaders jointly agreed on such language.
Separately, the Prime Ministers of Ireland, Malta, Slovenia and Spain “discussed together our readiness to recognise Palestine,” according to a Friday statement released by the four after meeting at the European Council. The group said they would take “concrete steps” toward that goal, without setting a timeline.
Finland’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that it would resume funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), weeks after the embattled agency faced allegations of ties with Hamas that prompted more than a dozen countries, including the United States, to pause payments. Sweden, Canada and Australia have also resumed funding in recent weeks.
At least 31,988 people have been killed and 74,188 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 251 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
End of carousel
Skip to end of carousel
David Barnea, head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, is set to join cease-fire negotiations in Doha with CIA Director William J. Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdel al-Thani and Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel. Blinken told reporters Thursday that the gap between Israel and Hamas on negotiations was “narrowing.”
In a joint statement Friday, Britain and Australia called for an “immediate cessation of fighting in Gaza to allow aid to flow and hostages to be released as a crucial step toward a permanent, sustainable cease-fire.” European Union leaders also called for an “immediate humanitarian pause leading to a sustainable cease-fire” on Thursday — the first time E.U leaders jointly agreed on such language.
Separately, the Prime Ministers of Ireland, Malta, Slovenia and Spain “discussed together our readiness to recognise Palestine,” according to a Friday statement released by the four after meeting at the European Council. The group said they would take “concrete steps” toward that goal, without setting a timeline.
Finland’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that it would resume funding to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), weeks after the embattled agency faced allegations of ties with Hamas that prompted more than a dozen countries, including the United States, to pause payments. Sweden, Canada and Australia have also resumed funding in recent weeks.
At least 31,988 people have been killed and 74,188 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 251 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
End of carousel

Live coverage contributors 9

Live updates continue below

Israel-Gaza war

Israel-Gaza war: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make a quick stop in Israel as tensions are rising between the United States and Israel over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to invade Rafah. The Israeli military said Wednesday that it was continuing its raid on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where people said they were trapped in dire conditions.

Middle East conflict: Tensions in the region continue to rise. As Israeli troops aim to take control of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, officials in Cairo warn that the move would undermine the 1979 peace treaty. Meanwhile, there’s a diplomatic scramble to avert full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon.

U.S. involvement: U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria killed dozens of Iranian-linked militants, according to Iraqi officials. The strikes were the first round of retaliatory action by the Biden administration for an attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members.