US vetoes calls for a ceasefire for a third time at the UN: Algeria’s draft motion calling for an immediate ceasefire was blocked by a US veto at the UN Security Council yesterday. Of the 15-member body, 13 nations voted for the resolution and the United Kingdom abstained.

Egypt slammed the US veto as “shameful” in a statement released late last night by the Foreign Ministry. While Algerian UN Ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjema told the council before the vote that, “A vote in favor of this draft resolution is support to the Palestinians right to life. Conversely, voting against it implies an endorsement of the brutal violence and collective punishment inflicted upon them.”

ICYMI- The US has proposed its own resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza and warning Israel against a ground offensive in the southern city of Rafah. The move marks what the FinancialTimes calls “rare criticism” of Israel by the US at the UN and a “big diplomatic milestone” for a country that has so far repeatedly vetoed every UN resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

OVER IN THE RED SEA- The EU launches its Red Sea and Gulf maritime security mission, dubbed EunavforAspides, to “contribute to restore and safeguard freedom of navigation, for the sake of the EU, the region, and the wider international community,” it said in a statement (pdf). The force’s “purely defensive mandate” will protect ships passing through the region from attacks and “will not conduct strikes on land.”

Abandoned cargo ship adrift in the Red Sea after Houthi attack may be sinking: The Rubymar was seen yesterday morning “half sunken,” reports Bloomberg.

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