By Ahmed Asmar
ANKARA (AA) - Israel’s far-right finance minister slammed the passing of a resolution at the UN Security Council on Monday demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, saying it "plays into Hamas’s hands."
“The US decision not to impose a veto in the Security Council plays into Hamas’s hands and harms efforts to return the hostages," Bezalel Smotrich said in a statement cited by the Times of Israel news website.
He also claimed that the resolution obstructs Israel's efforts to "stabilize the region by eliminating the radical forces and strengthening the moderate forces."
"The State of Israel will not stop until Hamas is completely destroyed and the hostages are returned," he added.
Smotrich said Israel’s relationship with the US has "always been one of partners, not a patron state."
A statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the US decision to allow the resolution to pass was "a clear retreat from the consistent US position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war."
Netanyahu called off an official visit for a top delegation to Washington after the US failed to veto the resolution.
Earlier Monday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began on March 11 and is set to end on April 9.
All council members except one, the US, voted for the resolution. The Biden administration chose not to vote against it, which would automatically be a veto, and instead abstained.
The resolution called for an "immediate cease-fire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties, leading to a lasting sustainable cease-fire."
It also demanded the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs."
Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Palestinian territory since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.
More than 32,333 Palestinians have since been killed and over 74,694 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.