The United Nations Security Council on Monday backed a resolution introduced by President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and urged Palestinian militants to accept the deal aimed at ending the eight-month-long war.

Hamas welcomed the adoption of the US-drafted resolution and said in a statement that it was ready to cooperate with mediators in implementing the plan’s principles, “which are in line with the demands of our people and resistance.”

Russia abstained from the UN vote, while the remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favour of a resolution supporting a three-phase ceasefire plan presented by Biden on May 31, which he described as an Israeli initiative.

“Today we voted for peace,” US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council after the vote.

The resolution welcomes the new ceasefire proposal, notes that Israel has accepted it, calls on Hamas to agree to it and “urges both parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without any conditions.”

Algeria, the council’s only Arab member, supported the resolution because “we believe it could be a step forward towards an immediate and lasting ceasefire,” Algeria’s U.N. ambassador Amr Bendjama told the council.

He said, “This is a ray of hope for the Palestinians. Now is the time to stop the killing.”

The resolution also elaborates on the proposal, stating that “even if the first phase of talks takes longer than six weeks, the ceasefire will remain in place as long as the talks continue.”

Israel’s goals

However, it did not contain enough details for Moscow. Russia’s UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya asked what specifically Israel had agreed to and said the Security Council should not sign agreements with “vague parameters”.

“We did not want to block the resolution simply because, as far as we understand, the Arab world supports it,” Nebenzia told the council.

Israel’s UN ambassador Gilad Erdan was present for the vote but did not address the council. Instead, senior Israeli UN diplomat Reet Shapir Ben Naftali told the body that Israel’s goals in Gaza have always been clear.

“Israel is committed to these goals – freeing all hostages, destroying Hamas’ military and governance capabilities, and ensuring that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future,” he said. “It is Hamas that is preventing this war from ending. Hamas and only Hamas.”

In March, the Council called for an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas.

For months, negotiators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to broker a ceasefire. Hamas says it wants a permanent end to the war in the Gaza Strip and an Israeli withdrawal from the territory of 2.3 million people.

Israel is responding to an October 7 attack by its militants against Hamas, which rules Gaza.

According to Israeli figures, more than 1,200 people had been killed and more than 250 taken hostage by Hamas as of October 7. More than 100 hostages are believed to still be held in Gaza.

Israel launched air, ground and sea attacks on the Palestinian territory, killing more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.