Israel presses on with its Gaza offensive after US veto derails Security Council

10/12/2023 12:22

        Israel's military pushed ahead with its punishing air and ground offensive in Gaza on Saturday, bolstered by a U.S. veto derailing U.N. Security Council efforts to end the war and word that an emergency sale of $106 million worth of tank ammunition had been approved by Washington.
        
        Unable to leave Gaza, a territory 40 kilometers long by about 11 kilometers wide, more than 2 million Palestinians faced more bombardment Saturday, even in areas that Israel had described as safe zones.
        
        The sale of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank ammunition was announced a day after the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, a measure that had wide international support. The U.S. said Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that "an emergency exists" in the national interest requiring the immediate sale, meaning it bypasses congressional review. Such a determination is rare.