Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to suspend the planned visit of a diplomatic delegation to Washington after the United States did not veto the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza without the release of the hostages held by Hamas, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. “This withdrawal hurts both the war effort and the effort to release the hostages because it gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow them to accept a ceasefire without the release of our abductees,” the statements read. Meanwhile, US National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that he prefers letting “the Israelis speak to whether they’re coming or not.”
Hamas hails UNSC’s ceasefire vote results
Hamas welcomed on Monday the United Nations (UN) Security Council’s adoption of a resolution calling for a ceasefire between the group and Israel in the Gaza Strip.The organization’s statement indicated Hamas’s readiness to “engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides.” “Hamas calls on the Security Council to pressure the occupation to adhere to the ceasefire and stop the war of genocide and ethnic cleansing against our people,” it concluded. Israel objected to the results of the vote and canceled a planned diplomatic visit to the United States after the latter did not veto the resolution.