CAIRO, October 26. /TASS/. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has hailed Russia, China’s vetoing the US-drafted UN Security Council resolution on the Middle East.

"The head of the Political Bureau [of the Hamas Palestinian movement] highly assesses Russia and China’s position in the UN Security Council and their blocking the American draft resolution backing the occupational [Israeli] forces. He also expresses gratitude to all countries both within the Security Council and outside it who called for stopping the aggression against our Palestinian people in Gaza," Hamas said in a statement posted on its Telegram channel.

Hamas called on the international community to oblige Israel to respect human rights and "use humanitarian law in respect of the Palestinian people both in the Gaza Strip and in entire Palestine."

Russia and China vetoed the US-drafted resolution on the Middle East, which condemned the Hamas attack and called for the release of hostages and observance of international humanitarian law. However, it did not contain a call for the ceasefire and recognized Israel’s right to self-defense.

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said earlier that Moscow sees no sense in the US-drafted document and will not support it.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.