Doctors Without Borders Slams US for Vetoing Gaza Ceasefire Resolution at UN

The head of the charity said children as young as five have said they want to die after seeing their family members killed

The head of the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) slammed the US for vetoing a Gaza ceasefire resolution in testimony at the UN Security Council on Thursday and detailed the horrors Palestinian children are facing in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli siege.

“We are appalled by the willingness of the United States to use its powers as a permanent Council member to obstruct efforts to adopt the most evident of resolutions: one demanding an immediate and sustained ceasefire,” said MSF Secretary-General Christopher Lockyear.

“Three times this Council has had an opportunity to vote for the ceasefire that is so desperately needed and three times the United States has used its veto power,” he said. “A new draft resolution by the United States ostensibly calls for a ceasefire. However, this is misleading at best.”

The resolution that’s being drafted by the US calls for a “temporary ceasefire” if Israeli hostages are released, which is essentially Israel’s position. It leaves open the possibility of Israel restarting its military operations after the truce.

Describing the situation for Palestinian children, Lockyear said medical teams have a new acronym: “WCNSF—wounded child, no surviving family.” He said after seeing their family members killed, some children as young as five years old said they no longer wanted to live.

“Children who survive this war will not only bear the visible wounds of traumatic injuries but the invisible ones too—those of repeated displacement, constant fear, and witnessing family members literally dismembered before their eyes. These psychological injuries have led children as young as five to tell us they would prefer to die,” he said.

So far, the US-backed Israeli slaughter in Gaza has killed over 29,000 Palestinians and wounded more than 69,000. About two-thirds of the casualties are women and children. Despite the massive civilian casualty rate, the US continues to provide unconditional military support.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.