Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday to press ahead with the campaign to eliminate the Hamas militant group, while also criticizing a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Israel will not give in to Hamas’s delusional demands and will continue to take action to achieve all the goals of the war: free all abductees, destroy Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities, and ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat. Threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

Hamas officials said on Monday they had told negotiators working on a temporary cease-fire agreement that Hamas would not change its proposals, which include a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for prisoners held by Israel.

Despite weeks of efforts by U.S., Egyptian and Qatari negotiators to find ways to temporarily halt the fighting, release hostages and increase much-needed humanitarian aid for Gaza’s civilians, there has been little progress on the warring sides’ demands. .

Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Hamas’ position proved the terror group’s “disinterest in continuing negotiations to reach an agreement and unfortunately demonstrated the damage done by the Security Council decision.”

The resolution adopted by the Security Council on Monday “requires” an immediate ceasefire and “a lasting and sustainable ceasefire” as Ramadan is halfway through. It also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, the removal of all obstacles to additional humanitarian aid, and the protection of Gaza civilians.

“This has to be a turning point. This has to save lives on the ground,” an emotional Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour told the Security Council. “This must mark the end of atrocities against our people.”

The text, proposed by the 10 elected members of the 15-nation Council, was adopted by 14 votes in favour, with the United States abstaining, allowing the measure to pass. It was the eighth time the Security Council had tried to agree on a ceasefire resolution, and the chamber was packed with people and thunderous applause.

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Washington abstained from the vote because, while some of their recommendations were considered, the text did not include a condemnation of Hamas – a sign of the U.S.’s previous failed attempt at a ceasefire resolution. The main demands made during months of negotiations.

“However, as I have said before, we fully support some of the key objectives in this non-binding resolution. We believe that the Security Council must speak out and make it clear that any ceasefire must be achieved with the release of all hostages,” she explain.

U.N. Security Council resolutions are international law, so it’s unclear why she believes the resolution is not binding. Other Council members reiterated that Council decisions are binding and mandatory.

In Washington, White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters, “Nothing has changed in our policy. Nothing has changed.”

The Israeli envoy said the resolution was “shameful” because it did not condition a ceasefire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.

“It is clear that as long as Hamas refuses to release the hostages through diplomatic channels, there is no way other than military action to ensure their return,” said Israel’s representative to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan.

In a joint statement issued to reporters after the vote, the 10 elected members of the Security Council expressed the hope that all parties can implement it and help alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza.

The United Nations will continue to push for more humanitarian access and entry points for aid, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said during a visit to Jordan on Monday and called on Israel not to erect any restrictions or obstacles to the delivery of aid.

International humanitarian groups have complained about the lack of access to Palestinian civilians, citing Israeli inspectors’ refusal to accept materials, Israeli seizure of convoys and lack of access to Gaza’s interior due to ongoing fighting.

Speaking specifically about the situation in northern Gaza, Guterres said, “It is absolutely necessary to provide massive humanitarian assistance now.”

Washington holds military talks

Meanwhile, the fighting didn’t stop. The Israeli military reported on Tuesday more operations around Gaza City’s Shifa hospital, as well as ground fighting and airstrikes in central Gaza.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is scheduled to hold talks with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant on Tuesday. The Pentagon said the meeting was expected to discuss efforts to secure the release of Gaza’s remaining hostages and the need for more humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians.

Other senior Israeli officials had been expected to attend a separate meeting at the White House, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled Monday’s trip after the United States did not block a Gaza ceasefire proposal.

“We are extremely disappointed that they will not come to Washington, D.C., to allow us to have a fleshed-out conversation with them about viable alternatives to going to Rafah on the ground,” Kirby told reporters at the White House.

The United States has made clear it will not support an Israeli attack on Rafah near the Gaza-Egyptian border without a plan to protect civilians there. Israel says it has plans in place but has not publicly said where Palestinians seeking refuge there will be moved.

As Israeli forces advanced in the early stages of the war, more than 1.2 million Palestinians fled there on orders from the Israeli army, which ordered them to leave their homes in northern Gaza.

Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed, “We cannot defeat Hamas without entering Rafah and destroying the forces that remain there.”

The war began when Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Israel on October 7. According to Israeli statistics, the attack killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages. More than 100 people were released during a temporary ceasefire in November. Around 100 people are believed to be alive and 30 others are believed to be dead but remain in detention in Gaza. The health ministry in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip said Israel’s counteroffensive has killed more than 32,200 people. The death toll included Hamas fighters and civilians, with the ministry saying two-thirds of the dead were women and children.

VOA’s United Nations correspondent Margaret Beshear and White House correspondent Anita Powell contributed to this report. This report contains information from The Associated Press, Reuters and AFP.