The United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, blocking the measure as the only dissenting vote among the 15-member body.

The draft, introduced amid rising global concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, was supported by the other 14 council members. It follows multiple days this week of the Israeli military reportedly firing on Palestinian civilians near aid distribution centers.

Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea said the resolution was unacceptable because it did not condemn Hamas or prioritize the release of hostages held in the Palestinian enclave.

“We would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza,” Shea said before the vote.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.N., Asim Iftikhar, sharply criticized the veto, saying it “will be remembered as a complicity,” and accused the U.S. of being the sole member blocking the Security Council from fulfilling its duties.

Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour announced that Palestinians will turn to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to push for a humanitarian resolution. Unlike Security Council decisions, resolutions passed by the General Assembly are non-binding.

Israel’s grueling 19-month war on Gaza has killed more than 54,600 Palestinians and injured over 124,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Roughly 4,000 of those deaths occurred after Israel imposed a blockade on the territory since March 2 and ended the latest ceasefire with Hamas on March 18. Over the past three weeks, the Israeli military launched Operation Gideon’s Chariots, killing hundreds in renewed air and land assaults.

Moreover, 29 Palestinians reportedly died of starvation on May 22 as aid organizations warn of worsening famine conditions and international pressure grows on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.