The UN Security Council adopted a US-drafted resolution in support of the Gaza ceasefire plan. Washington is waging an intense diplomatic campaign to get Hamas to accept the offer.
The text - adopted with 14 votes in favor and Russia abstaining - "welcomes" the ceasefire and hostage release proposal announced on May 31 by President Joe Biden. It demands that "the parties fully comply with its terms without delay and without condition."
The resolution said Israel had accepted the truce plan and "urged Hamas to accept it as well."
Hamas said it "welcomed" the vote.
The United States, a staunch ally of Israel, has been widely criticized for blocking several previous UN draft resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
But late last month, Biden launched new U.S. efforts to reach a truce and release the hostages.
"Today we voted for peace," US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the UN session.
"Today, this Council sent a clear message to Hamas: accept the cease-fire agreement that is on the table. Israel has already agreed to this deal, and the fighting could stop today if Hamas did the same."
However, the deal remains uncertain, with Hamas officials insisting that any ceasefire deal must guarantee a definitive end to the war - a demand Israel flatly rejects, vowing to destroy Hamas and free the remaining captives.
According to the proposal, Israel would withdraw from the settlements in Gaza and Hamas would release the hostages. The cease-fire will initially last for six weeks and will be extended as negotiators work towards a final cessation of hostilities. | BGNES
