MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. By voting against the UN Security Council resolution on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the United States missed another opportunity to stop the bloodshed in the region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The US representatives opposed the resolution, using their veto power for the seventh time since the beginning of the crisis on UN Security Council drafts concerning the Israeli-Palestinian settlement," the ministry said. "In fact, the US side rejected its own plan for a deal between Israel and Hamas, drafted in conjunction with Egyptian and Qatari mediators."

"One more chance was missed to stop the horrific bloodshed and famine in Gaza, which has already claimed the lives of approximately 55,000 Palestinians and left another 125,000 wounded," the ministry added.

On June 4, the UN Security Council voted on a draft resolution demanding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, release of hostages and removal of all barriers for humanitarian aid. The document was co-authored by the Council’s ten non-permanent members. Russia, along with 13 other members of the 15-member Council voted in favor of the document. The United States voted against the resolution, exercising its veto right.

"Moscow is convinced that this vicious circle of violence and suffering can be broken only by a complete and universal ceasefire, the release of all hostages, ensuring humanitarian access via all routes, and re-starting the peace process on the internationally recognized two-state solution, with peaceful co-existence of Palestine and Israel," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.