The UN Security Council on Monday passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Gaza and Israel after the United States abstained.

Washington’s decision to abstain angered Israel and prompted its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel a scheduled trip to the US by two of his top advisers, two Israeli officials said.

The US has previously vetoed similar resolutions calling for a ceasefire. Then on Friday, it had its own resolution calling for a ceasefire tied to the release of hostages defeated after Russia and China vetoed the draft. The abstention by the US on Monday made the passing of the resolution possible, with the other 14 members of the 15-strong council voting yes.

The US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that while the latest resolution included edits requested by the US, Washington could not vote yes because it “did not agree with everything.”

The resolution, put forward by the 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council, is legally binding and demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, the immediate and unconditional release of hostages and “the urgent need to expand the flow” of aid into Gaza.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said a failure to implement the resolution would be “unforgivable.”

“The Security Council just approved a long-awaited resolution on Gaza, demanding an immediate ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
This resolution must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable,” Guterres wrote on X, previously known as Twitter.

The UN vote on Monday came as tensions grow over a looming Israeli military operation in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah. The US has been calling on Israel to explain how it will protect the 1.4 million Palestinians seeking refuge in southern Gaza ahead of an expected incursion there, which the US said “would be a mistake.”

Separately, Israel agreed to a US proposal on a prisoner-hostage deal, according to CNN analyst Barak Ravid’s reporting on the recent round of talks in Doha. The reported deal could see the release of around 700 Palestinian prisoners, among them 100 serving life sentences for killing Israeli nationals, in exchange for the release of 40 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

However, Hamas said more issues remain unresolved beyond the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Hamas senior officials Basem Naeim told CNN that “Israeli-American media” was adding pressure on the talks.

“For us, the negotiations are not only centric around the prisoner exchange deal,” he said.

“Israel has not agreed to any of [Hamas] requests related to a complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of all forces from the Gaza Strip, even in stages, and the return of all displaced people to their homes,” Naeim said.