After the US veto, China’s ambassador said people could not help but ask: “Do Palestinian lives mean nothing?”
France said international humanitarian law was being trampled and the only response should have been an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
The UK said it wanted to end the war, stop the suffering in Gaza and secure the immediate release of all hostages.
But the harshest criticism of the US came from outside the Council doors.
Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) UN director, Louis Charbonneau, accused Washington of “once again” using its veto power “to ensure impunity for Israel as its forces continue to commit crimes against Palestinians in Gaza”.
Israel rejects the accusations. It says it has substantially increased the amount of aid getting into Gaza, and accuses aid agencies of failing to adequately distribute it.
The current war broke out after Hamas gunmen burst through the border and attacked Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and taking 253 into Gaza as hostages.
More than 43,920 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.