The United States stressed that the international community must unequivocally condemn Hamas after a Russian resolution calling for a ceasefire, but not condemning Hamas, fell in a vote at a meeting of the UN Security Council discussing the war between Israel and Hamas on Monday night.
"Hamas set the humanitarian crisis in motion, and we cannot allow this council to unfairly shift the blame to Israel and excuse Hamas for its decades of cruelty," said the US representative at the council meeting.
"The bottom line is this, you cannot claim to stand with the Palestinians and their legitimate aspirations, if you do not stand squarely against Hamas. Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people's right to dignity and self-determination."
The US representative at the council stated that they had opposed a Russian resolution calling for a ceasefire which had been rejected by the council, noting that the Russian resolution did not mention Hamas and did not unequivocally condemn the attack on Israel.
Russian resolution on ceasefire falls in vote
Only five member states supported Russia's resolution, with the resolution falling without the US needing to veto it. A resolution at the UNSC requires nine votes in favor in order to be approved.
The representatives of Ecuador, Malta, and the UK noted that the resolution did not mention Hamas or condemn the terrorist movement. The Japanese representative noted that Russia pushed for a vote on the resolution, despite other member states wanting further time to reach agreements on the wording of the resolution.
The United Arab Emirates' representative to the council rejected Israel's call for Gazans to evacuate from northern Gaza, calling it "an unjustified demand, unmeetable in its nature."