The United States on Wednesday once again vetoed a United Nations Security Council draft resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, drawing criticism for prioritizing its own interests over the global call for peace in the devastated region.

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, said China was very disappointed with the result of the vote.

"The US' single use of veto has shattered the Gazan people's hope for survival and pushed them further into darkness and desperation," he said.

READ MORE: US vetoes UN Security Council resolution on Gaza ceasefire

Fourteen members of the Security Council voted in favor of the new resolution, introduced by 10 non-permanent members, that called for "an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire to be respected by all parties". The US was the sole member to vote against the resolution.

Robert Wood, deputy US ambassador to the UN, said the US vetoed the resolution because Washington would only support a resolution whose language explicitly called for the immediate release of hostages as part of a cease-fire.

Fu said that "when the US cast its first veto on Oct 18 last year, nearly 3,000 civilians had been killed in Gaza. By the time the US cast its second veto, 17,000 people had been killed as a result of Israeli bombardment.

"With its continued use of the veto, when the US cast its fifth veto on April 18 this year, the death toll in Gaza had surged to 34,000," he added. "Now, nearly 44,000 people have been killed in Gaza, and the US still does not hesitate to use its veto. Can the deaths of 44,000 people not win even a little bit of sympathy from the United States?"

Furthermore, Fu said that Israel "has flagrantly breached every red line of international humanitarian law, with its actions causing an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. But even as a famine is about to break out in Gaza, the US always seems to be able to find justification to defend Israel. This represents a distortion and selective disregard of the application of international humanitarian law".

"Insistence on setting preconditions for a cease-fire is tantamount to giving the green light to prolong the war and condone the continued killing," said Fu.

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Sun Xihui, an associate researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' National Institute of International Strategy, said there are strong pro-Israel forces within the US Congress and government.

"The US claims to prioritize regional peace and stability, but in practice, it consistently backs Israel's military operations. While it talks about upholding human rights and preventing humanitarian disasters, it repeatedly vetoes cease-fire resolutions for Gaza.

"This double standard or hypocrisy fundamentally arises from the US tying its national interests closely to Middle Eastern affairs and putting its own interests above regional and international concerns," Sun added.

Agencies contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at mingmeili@chinadailyusa.com