By YTC Ventures | September 19, 2025
In a move that’s become as predictable as the sunrise over the East River, the United States has slammed the brakes on yet another UN Security Council bid for peace in Gaza, vetoing a resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire. This marks the sixth such blockade since the war erupted nearly two years ago, leaving 14 fellow Council members—from allies like the UK to rivals like Russia—in stunned agreement.
Casting the lone “no” vote was Deputy Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, the Florida-born firebrand whose career has rocketed from beauty pageants to the State Department’s front lines. As Gaza teeters on the brink of full-scale famine, with over 65,000 Palestinian lives lost and hostages still rotting in Hamas tunnels, Ortagus’s veto doesn’t just stall diplomacy—it ignites a firestorm of accusations that Washington is green lighting genocide.
With the UN General Assembly looming and half of America calling Israel’s response “too far,” this latest rebuff could fracture US alliances like never before. Dive in: Who’s Ortagus, what’s her price tag, and why this veto might be the match that lights the powder keg.
The Veto Heard ‘Round the World: What Went Down in Turtle Bay
Thursday’s drama unfolded in the Security Council’s marbled chamber, where a draft penned by the body’s 10 elected members—led by Algeria—passed with flying colors: 14 yeses, zero abstentions, and one resounding American nein. The resolution wasn’t some pie-in-the-sky wish list; it demanded the “immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire” that world leaders have begged for since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, rampage killed 1,200 Israelis and snared 250 hostages (48 of whom remain captive).
It also called for Hamas to release captives “dignified and unconditionally” and for Israel to yank all restrictions on aid, amid a “catastrophic” humanitarian meltdown where Gaza City’s lifelines—hospitals, water plants, food routes—are collapsing under bombardment.
Ortagus, hand raised defiantly, echoed the Trump administration’s line: This text “undermines diplomatic efforts” by not explicitly tying the ceasefire to hostage releases and failing to brand Hamas a terrorist outfit (a label the US, UK, and EU slap on the group).
It’s the second veto under Trump’s second term (January 2025 onward), but the sixth overall since the war’s outbreak—previous blocks in November 2023, February 2024, March 2024, and June 2025 cited similar gripes: emboldening militants without safeguards.
The chamber erupted. Algeria’s Amar Bendjama, voice cracking, turned to the Palestinian delegation: “Forgive us, Palestinian brothers and sisters… This Council could not save your children—more than 18,000 of them killed by Israel.”
China’s Fu Cong blasted the US for “abusing its veto power,” while Denmark’s Christina Markus Lassen hailed the near-unanimity as a “clear message” against starving civilians.Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour called it “deeply regrettable and painful,” a failure to curb “atrocities.”
Meet Morgan Ortagus: From Miss Florida Citrus to Middle East Enforcer
Enter Morgan Deann Ortagus, 43, the identical twin daughter of a Florida cleanup mogul and office manager, whose path reads like a Tom Clancy novel with a beauty queen twist. Born July 10, 1982, in Auburndale, she traded opera dreams for political science post-9/11, snagging a cum laude BS from Florida Southern College and dual MAs in Government/Business from Johns Hopkins in 2013.
Pageant crowns? Miss Teen Auburndale, Miss Florida Citrus (2003), Miss Orange Blossom—fueling her poise under fire.Her career? A whirlwind of intel, diplomacy, and spin. Kicked off in 2007 as a USAID public affairs officer in Baghdad’s Green Zone, dodging IEDs while shaping narratives.
Obama-era Treasury intel analyst, then deputy attaché in Riyadh (2010-2011), battling illicit finance and schmoozing Saudi bankers.
Private sector pit stop: Global relationship manager at Standard Chartered, then EY’s Geostrategic Business Group.
Trump’s first term catapults her: State Department spokesperson (2019-2021), briefing on Abraham Accords and Iran sanctions, a hawkish voice for Israel.
Post-White House, she co-founds Rubicon Founders (healthcare investments) and POLARIS National Security (foreign policy think tank), hosts “The Morgan Ortagus Show” on SiriusXM, and advises Hudson Institute’s China Center.
A Navy Reserve lieutenant commander since 2014 (promoted April 2025), she’s Trump’s pick for deputy envoy under Steve Witkoff—hand-picked for her “strong and impressive” pro-Israel bona fides.
Tennessee politics? A 2022 GOP primary flop for the 5th District—disqualified over residency beefs—despite Trump’s nod.
Now, Nashville-based with hubby Jonathan Weinberger and daughter, she’s the face of US Mideast muscle.
The Price of Power: Ortagus’s Net Worth in the Spotlight
Ortagus keeps her ledgers locked, but estimates peg her 2025 net worth at $3-4 million—a tidy sum from diplomacy dividends, media gigs, and board seats.
Annual haul? Around $79,000 from TV commentary, plus six-figure State salaries ($124,000+ as spokesperson), investment yields from Rubicon, and advisory fees (e.g., Concordia, Nixon Foundation).
Not Bezos bucks, but enough for a Nashville nest egg—fueled by her pivot from pageants to policy powerhouse.
The Veto’s Venom: Humanitarian Hell, Diplomatic Divorce, and Global Backlash
This isn’t just veto #6; it’s a gut-punch to Gaza’s gasping 2.3 million souls. With famine declared in Gaza City (IPC August 2025) and 435 starvation deaths tallied, the block stalls aid surges—UN’s OCHA warns “last lifelines collapsing” as Israel eyes full control.
Speakers slam it as “emboldening Israel” to press offensives, undoing decades of multilateralism, and applying “double standards” to Palestinian lives.
| Impact Arena | Short-Term Sting | Long-Term Scar |
|---|---|---|
| Humanitarian | Aid blockades worsen; famine spreads beyond Gaza City, per IPC—starvation deaths up 20% MoM. 65k+ Palestinian fatalities mount unchecked. | Erodes UN credibility; aid orgs like GHF (US-backed) strain to fill voids, risking more chaos. |
| Diplomatic | US isolated—14-1 vote exposes rifts with allies (UK, France yes); China/Russia cry “abuse.” | Torpedoes hostage talks; emboldens Hamas per US, but critics say it “condones killing” and stalls two-state push at UNGA. |
| Global/US Rep | Backlash brews: HRW calls US “complicit”; half of Americans say Israel’s “gone too far” (AP-NORC). | Strains alliances pre-UNGA; symbolic Palestinian state recognitions by UK et al. loom, painting US as veto villain. |
| Regional | Hezbollah/Israel flare-ups escalate; no Rafah green light, but offensives rage. | Prolongs war; risks wider Mideast meltdown, per UN’s Wennesland— “unravelling decades” of peace work. |
Critics like Amnesty and HRW decry the veto as “selective” IHL—US shields Israel while slamming Russia in Ukraine.
Hamas dubs it a “death sentence”; Israel? Silent approval. As UNGA kicks off, expect fireworks: Will this sixth veto finally force Biden’s ghost (or Trump’s team) to pivot?
The Reckoning: From Veto to Verdict
Ortagus’s hand-up isn’t just policy—it’s personal, rooted in her Abraham Accords zeal and unyielding Israel support.
But at what cost? Gaza’s “war machine” churns on, hostages languish, and US clout crumbles.
As Bendjama’s plea echoes—”Shame on our helplessness”—the world watches:
Can diplomacy dodge veto seven, or is this the impasse that breaks the UN?
The True Price of Devastation: Unpacking the Human and Economic Toll of the Gaza War as of September 2025
Nearly two years after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack ignited the inferno—killing 1,200 Israelis and seizing 251 hostages—the Gaza war has morphed into a catastrophe of biblical proportions. Israel’s retaliatory campaign, now a grinding occupation amid ceasefires with Hezbollah and fragile truces, has left Gaza a rubble-choked graveyard and Israel’s economy battered.
As of mid-September 2025, the death toll in Gaza alone surpasses 80,000, with indirect fatalities from famine and disease pushing estimates toward 200,000. Infrastructure? Obliterated, at a reconstruction tab exceeding $50 billion.
For Israel, military outlays have ballooned to $67 billion through 2025, fueled by $18 billion in U.S. aid, while global boycotts and a 10% GDP hit loom large. This isn’t just war—it’s an economic black hole sucking in lives, livelihoods, and legacies. Here’s the grim ledger: human costs first, then the dollars, and why the bill keeps climbing.
The Human Catastrophe: Lives Shattered, Generations Erased
The war’s body count defies comprehension, with Gaza bearing 99% of the brunt. Official Gaza Health Ministry figures, verified by UN agencies like OCHA, tally over 52,000 direct Palestinian deaths by May 2025, but independent analyses expose massive undercounting.
A January 2025 Lancet study, using capture-recapture methods on trauma data from October 2023 to June 2024, estimated 64,260 traumatic injury deaths—41% higher than reported—projecting 93,000 by May 2025 (77,000-109,000 range, or 4-5% of Gaza’s pre-war 2.3 million population).
Add indirect tolls—starvation (62,000+ by October 2024, per U.S. physicians), disease from collapsed sanitation, and untreated wounds—and totals climb to 186,000 by mid-2024, per Lancet projections.Injuries?
Over 110,000 Palestinians maimed, with Gaza now holding the world’s highest per-capita child amputations—50,000 kids killed or wounded overall, per UNICEF’s May 2025 alert.
A shocking August 2025 Guardian exposé, drawing from classified IDF data, revealed an 83% civilian death rate—five of six Palestinians killed were non-combatants, outpacing even Srebrenica or Mariupol in modern conflicts.
Over 60% of Gazans have lost family, per PCPSR surveys, with 42 million tons of debris (a decade to clear) burying thousands more.
Israel’s losses: 35 conflict-related deaths by March 2025 (including 1,200 from October 7), plus 700+ soldiers killed in Gaza operations.
Hostages? 48 remain in tunnels, per latest tallies.
Broader ripples: 96% of Gazans face acute food insecurity, famine thresholds hit in Gaza City, and 1.9 million displaced—85% of the population.
The daily death rate? 250+, deadlier than any 21st-century conflict, per Oxfam.
| Human Cost Metric | Gaza/Palestinians | Israel |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Deaths | 52,928+ (May 2025; 59% women/children/elderly) | 1,200 (Oct 7) + 700+ soldiers |
| Estimated Total (Direct + Indirect) | 186,000+ (mid-2024 proj.; 10% pop. killed/injured) | N/A (focus on military) |
| Injuries | 110,265+ (highest child amputations globally) | ~5,000 (military/civilian) |
| Displacement | 1.9M (85% of pop.; multiple generations erased) | 100,000+ evacuated from borders |
| Other Toll | 60% lost family; famine kills 62K+; 42M tons debris | 48 hostages; PTSD surge |
Sources: Gaza Health Ministry (UN-verified), Lancet, UNICEF, OCHA, Costs of War Project.
The Economic Abyss: Billions Burned, Futures Foreclosed
Gaza’s economy? Annihilated. UNCTAD’s September 2024 report pegs GDP contraction at 80% in 2024, with 77.6% lost potential absent occupation/closures—per capita income down 172% from pre-war baselines.
Infrastructure damage: $18.5 billion (World Bank/UN/EU prelim), but full rebuild? $50-90 billion over decades, per Atlantic Council.
Unemployment hit 57% (507,000 jobs vaporized), poverty engulfed 300,000 more by November 2023, and aid dependency deepened amid withheld PA taxes.
Food CPI surged 200% (to 379 by 2024), housing 92%—famine as warfare.
Israel’s tab? Soaring. Bank of Israel: $55.6-67 billion (NIS 253B) in war costs through 2025—10% of GDP—spiking defense from NIS 60B (pre-war) to NIS 168.5B (8.4% GDP in 2024).
2024 alone: $31B on Gaza/Lebanon ops.
Growth? Slashed to 0.9% (2024), forecasts halved to 2.7% (2025); deficit ballooned to 6.8% GDP.
Budget hikes: NIS 69B (2024), NIS 31B supplement (2025, including $473M Gaza aid).
U.S. lifeline: $17.9B+ in aid since Oct 2023 (record high), plus $4.86B regional ops (Houthis, etc.)—total $22.76B+.
Regional fallout: Egypt’s Suez Canal revenue down 60%; Jordan/Lebanon strained by refugees/inflation.
| Economic Cost Breakdown | Gaza/Palestinians | Israel | U.S./Global Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Damage/War Spend | $18.5B infrastructure; $50-90B rebuild | $67B total (2023-25); $31B (2024 ops) | $17.9B+ to Israel; $22.76B+ incl. ops |
| GDP/Job Impact | 80% contraction (2024); 57% unemployment | 0.9% growth (2024); 10% GDP hit | N/A (but strains U.S. budget) |
| Deficit/Debt | Aid-dependent; taxes withheld | 6.8% GDP deficit (2024); debt to 67% GDP | N/A |
| Inflation/Other | Food +200%, housing +92% | Tax hikes/VAT to 18%; reservist losses | $3B arms sales (2025) |
Sources: Bank of Israel, UNCTAD, Atlantic Council, Costs of War, Reuters.
The Shadow Ledger: Long-Term Scars and Global Ripples
Beyond numbers, the war’s alchemy turns gold to ash. Gaza: A “living hell” of famine (IPC alert, July 2025), with 85,000 tons of explosives rendering 42M tons of toxic debris—cancer clusters for generations.
No universities, gutted hospitals, 94,000 injured sans rehab.
Israel: Credit downgrades loom (Fitch warns of Iran escalation), reservists’ absenteeism craters productivity, tourism/investment flee.
U.S.: $124B+ total aid since WWII, but 53% unfavorable views (Pew 2025), fueling domestic divides.
Regionally: Red Sea disruptions add $1B+ to global shipping; Lebanon/Yemen in freefall.
Ex-IDF chief Herzi Halevi’s September 2025 admission—”more than 200,000 killed or injured”—echoes the void: “We took the gloves off.”
As UNGA debates rage and reconstruction begs, one truth endures: Wars like this don’t end; they metastasize, billing tomorrow for today’s blood.
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