Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said humanitarian pauses in the Gaza Strip "are not and cannot be a substitute for a ceasefire or even a truce," predicting that hostilities will "resume with renewed vigor" after the pauses end. His remarks follow the UN Security Council's approval of a resolution calling for urgent humanitarian pauses in the region. Russia abstained from the vote after an amendment urging an immediate truce was left out of the document.
Nebenzya criticized the United States for "pressuring" the UNSC into weakening the language of the resolution. He also raised concerns about the implementation of the resolution, expressing hope that the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will soon present "options for creating mechanisms for international monitoring of this process."
