Israel-Palestine Escalation
Israel was hit by an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, with Hamas movement's troops infiltrating border areas. On October 8, the Israeli government announced that it had invoked Article 40 of the Basic Law, which means the country was officially in a state of war.

Israel Undermines Efforts to Secure Release of Hostages Held by Hamas, Russian UN Mission Says

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik), Lenka White - Earlier, Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy told Sputnik that the United States is not willing to pressure Israel to stop its military operations but is rather covering up their actions in Gaza.
Sputnik
Russia believes that Israel is hampering mediators' efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy told Sputnik.

"And it's absolutely clear that it hasn't fulfilled any of the goals of its operation, which were declared by Prime Minister Netanyahu, and what is especially worrying is that the lives of the hostages taken by Hamas are in clear danger and Israel is not doing anything actually to resolve this issue," Polyanskiy said. "It aggravates the issue and complicates the efforts of mediators."

Moreover, the Security Council has been paralyzed due to the United States' vetoes on Gaza resolutions in an effort to "save" its ally, the Russian diplomat added.