China strongly condemned the United States for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Beijing said the move sent the "wrong message" and effectively gave a "green light to the continued slaughter."

In response to the veto, China's UN ambassador Zhang Jun dismissed the claim that the motion would disrupt ongoing diplomatic negotiations as "totally untenable."

"Given the situation on the ground, the continued passive avoidance on an immediate ceasefire is nothing different from giving a green light to the continued slaughter," he said.

"The spill-over of the conflict is destabilizing the entire Middle East region leading to rising risk of a wider war," he added.

"Only by extinguishing the flames of war in Gaza can we prevent the fires of hell from engulfing the entire region."

The US utilized its veto power yesterday for the third time against a draft resolution in the United Nations Council, obstructing demands for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for humanitarian reasons.

Washington is urging the 15-member council to call for a temporary ceasefire linked to the release of captives in Gaza.

- Jordan's stance - 

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Sufian Al-Qudah, stated in a statement received by Roya, that the Security Council's failure, for the third time, to issue a resolution to halt the raging war in Gaza reflects the international community's inability to stop the humanitarian disaster resulting from the reckless aggressive war that Israeli Occupation insists on continuing.

Al-Qudah emphasized the international community's need to fulfill its responsibilities, especially the Security Council, and to issue a resolution to halt the ongoing war in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of more than 29,000 innocent people, mostly women and children.