Russia and China on Friday vetoed a U.S. draft UN Security Council resolution that called for an "immediate and sustained ceasefire" in Gaza along with "the release of all remaining hostages" held by Hamas.
Why it matters: This was the fourth time since the war began in October that the Security Council failed to agree on a resolution calling for a ceasefire. This time, the dispute was over the U.S. insistence on linking the ceasefire call to a hostage deal and condemnation of Hamas, rather than the unconditional ceasefire resolution demanded by Russia and China.
