The United Nations Security Council called on Hamas to accept Israel’s cease-fire offer on Monday after passing a US resolution that ramps up pressure on the terror group.

The council voted to adopt the measure, with 14 votes in favor of the resolution and no votes against it. Russia abstained.

The resolution calls for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza to allow the some 120 hostages in Hamas captivity to be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

After the Jewish state voiced its concerns over the UN resolution last week, American officials agreed to update it to address Israel’s worries, including dropping the opposition to the establishment of Israel security buffer zones in Gaza, the Times of Israel reports.

“Today we voted for peace,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council after the vote.

The US ambassador added that the resolution shows Hamas that the international community is united to end a war that has gone on since the Oct 7 massacre in Israel, which killed some 1,200 people.

“United behind a deal that will save lives and help Palestinian civilians in Gaza start to rebuild and heal. United behind a deal that will reunite hostages with their families, after eight months in captivity,” she said.

The resolution, which avoided vetoes from China and Russia, calls for an immediate six-week pause in the fighting that will continue so long as Israel and Hamas keep negotiating. 

Along with the hostage exchange, the deal calls on Israel to withdraw from Gaza’s main population centers and to allow more aid to arrive for Palestinians.

The deal would also allow Palestinians to return to all areas of the Gaza Strip that have been evacuated since the Israeli military began its ground incursion.  

Hamas said in a statement that it welcomed the Biden-backed resolution and is ready to cooperate with mediators over implementing the cease-fire deal. 

It remains unclear if the terror group will go through with the deal as it has previously rejected proposals that do not call for a permanent cease-fire. 

Algeria, the only Arab state currently on the UN Security Council, said that the current deal on the table is the best chance to ensure “immediate and lasting” peace between Israel and Gaza. 

“It offers a glimmer of hope to the Palestinians,” said Algeria’s U.N. Ambassador Amar Bendjama. “It’s time to halt the killing.”

While Israel has backed the proposal, the Jewish state insisted on including a clause that allows it to continue fighting in Gaza should Hamas violate the terms of the deal. 

Hamas has previously broken multiple ceasefire agreements in the past, including the one that was in place before Oct. 7 when its forces invaded Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and kidnapping more than 250 others. 

With Post Wires