Israeli foreign minister calls US non-veto a 'moral and ethical mistake'

Israel's foreign minister, Israel Katz, said that the US's decision to withhold its veto at a UN Security Council vote calling for a Gaza ceasefire will make it more difficult to free Israeli hostages held in the enclave.

Speaking to Israeli army radio, Katz said that Hamas will take advantage of the US not using its veto in order to reach a ceasefire without facing consequences, calling the American decision "a moral and ethical mistake".

He said that as a result, Israel will have to amp up its military pressure to show its commitment to freeing the hostages and defeating Hamas.

“In our view, there was a message, a no-good message, to anyone on Hamas’s side, that the US does not support Israel as much, and so we need to prove, militarily, that we will stand by our goals,” he said.

The UN Security Council resolution passed yesterday called for an "immediate" ceasefire for the remainder of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and setting the framework for a "lasting" ceasefire afterwards.

The US had previously vetoed three Security Council resolutions demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.