Russia calls for Israel-Hamas cease-fire at UN

Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations calls for a “humanitarian cease-fire” in the Gaza Strip and Israel on Friday, while blaming the United States for the ongoing conflict.

The Russian draft resolution, presented to the Security Council and seen by AFP, calls for an “immediate” ceasefire and the secure release of all hostages, and “strongly condemns all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorism.”

The document did not specifically name Hamas, the terror group that governs Gaza and on Saturday burst through the heavily militarized border into Israel and killed 1,300 people, mostly civilians.

Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States, took about 150-200 Israeli, foreign and dual-national hostages to Gaza in the initial attack, Israel has said.

The United States has called on the Security Council to condemn the Palestinian terrorists and their attack, the deadliest in Israel’s history.

“We’re convinced that the Security Council must act to put an end to the bloodshed and restart peace negotiations with a view to establishing a Palestinian state as it was supposed to do so long ago,” Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said after the closed-door meeting of the Security Council on Friday.