After the recovery of six slain hostages from Gaza, Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, demanded action from the U.N. Security Council.
In a letter on Sunday to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Slovenian diplomat Samuel Zgobar, who is serving as the Security Council's president, Danon called for an urgent "briefing to condemn Hamas in the strongest possible terms" and "to address the dire situation of the 101 hostages still held in captivity."
Danon pointed to the fact that "the council has yet to condemn Hamas nor act decisively for the hostages" in the nearly 11 months since the militant group's Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
He also noted that Israel agreed to a hostage release deal in May, "with full backing from the United States," but Hamas refused.
"Even after the United States updated the deal framework on Aug. 16 — Israel agreed, and Hamas again refused," Danon wrote. "In recent days, as Israel has been engaged in intensive negotiations with the mediator in a supreme effort to reach a deal, Hamas continues to steadfastly refuse all proposals."
Danon closed by urging the Security Council not to delay in taking action.