The UN Security Council failed on Friday evening to pass a draft resolution demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after the United States used its veto.

Thirteen out of 15 member states of the UN Security Council voted in favor of the draft resolution, while Britain (which has veto power) abstained from voting, and the United States used its veto, which led to the failure of the draft resolution.

On Friday evening, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency session on the situation in the Gaza Strip, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, under the item entitled “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian issue.”

Ecuador, which holds the presidency of the Security Council for the month of December, announced the session after the letter sent by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, to the Council last Wednesday, based on Article 99 of the Charter of the United Nations, which allows him to “draw the attention” of the Council to the file. “It could jeopardize the maintenance of international peace and security.”

The United Arab Emirates has prepared a draft resolution to be put to a vote in the Security Council, calling in its latest version for an “immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons” in Gaza, warning of the “catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.”

The draft resolution also calls for "protecting civilians" and "ensuring humanitarian access."