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The US-sponsored resolution welcomes a cease-fire proposal announced by President Joe Biden that the United States says Israel has accepted. It calls on the militant Palestinian group Hamas, which initially said it viewed the proposal "positively", to accept the three-phase plan
Hamas responded to the adoption by saying it welcomed the resolution and was ready to work with mediators in indirect negotiations with Israel to implement it. The statement was among the strongest from Hamas to date but stressed the group would continue "our struggle" to end the Israeli occupation and work on setting up a "fully sovereign" Palestinian state
The resolution which was approved overwhelmingly with 14 of the 15 Security Council members voting in favor and Russia abstaining calls on Israel and Hamas to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition
US Ambassdador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote the council "sent a clear message to Hamas to accept the cease-fire deal on the table," reiterating that Israel has accepted the deal which is supported by countries across the world
"The fighting could stop today, if Hamas would do the same," she told the council. "I repeat, this fighting could stop today"
US deputy ambassador Robert Wood told reporters earlier on Monday that the United States wanted all 15 Security Council members to support what he described as "the best, most realistic opportunity to bring at least a temporary halt to this war"
Whether Israel and Hamas agree to the three-phase cease-fire plan remains in question, but the resolution's strong support in the UN's most powerful body puts added pressure on both parties to approve the proposal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Biden presented only parts of the proposal and insisted that any talk of a permanent cease-fire before dismantling Hamas' military and governing capabilities is a nonstarter
Earlier Monday, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad leaders met in Qatar to discuss the proposed cease-fire deal and said later that any deal must lead to a permanent cease-fire, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza, reconstruction and "a serious exchange deal" between hostages in Gaza and Palestinians held in Israeli jails
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