<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Numerous members of the UN Security Council denounced Hamas on Sunday over its massive assault on Israel but the United States regretted a lack of unanimity.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At an emergency session, the United States urged strong condemnation of the Palestinian Islamists, who rule the blockaded Gaza Strip and launched a surprise assault and kidnapping operation on Saturday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"There are a good number of countries that condemned the Hamas attacks. They're obviously not all," senior US diplomat Robert Wood told reporters after the closed-door session.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"You could probably figure out one of them without me saying anything," said Wood, in a clear allusion to Russia, whose relations with the West have deteriorated sharply since its invasion of Ukraine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Diplomats said the Security Council did not consider any joint statement, let alone a binding resolution, with members led by Russia hoping for a broader focus than condemning Hamas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">"My message was to stop the fighting immediately and to go to a ceasefire and to meaningful negotiations, which was told for decades" by the Security Council, said Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"This is partly the result of unresolved issues," he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">China, generally Russia's ally at the Security Council, said it would support a joint statement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"It's abnormal that the Security Council doesn't say anything," said Ambassador Zhang Jun, who earlier promised Chinese support for a condemnation of "all attacks against civilians."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ahead of the session, Israel's ambassador, Gilad Erdan, showed graphic pictures of Israeli civilians being taken captive by Hamas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"These are war crimes -- blatant, documented war crimes," Erdan told reporters outside of the Security Council.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"This unimaginable -- unimaginable -- atrocity must be condemned," he said of the Security Council.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Israel must be given steadfast support to defend ourselves -- to defend the free world."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Palestinian ambassador -- who represents the West Bank-centered Palestinian Authority and not rival Hamas -- called on the Security Council to focus on ending Israeli occupation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Regrettably, history for some media and politicians starts when Israelis are killed," said the envoy, Riyad Mansour.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"This is not a time to let Israel double-down on its terrible choices. This is a time to tell Israel it needs to change course, that there is a path to peace where neither Palestinians nor Israelis are killed."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Palestinian Authority and Israel were not part of the closed-door meeting, as neither are currently members on the Security Council.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The representative of the United Arab Emirates -- which normalized relations with Israel as part of a landmark 2020 deal -- expected more Security Council meetings on the crisis.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I think everyone understands that today the situation is one of grave concern," said the UAE ambassador, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Many members of the Council believe that a political horizon leading to a two-state solution is the only way to finally solve this conflict," she said. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>