An Israeli ground attack on Gaza will only worsen an already disastrous humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today.

Alongside, the Kremlin said today that efforts to agree on a balanced UN resolution, as he described it, on the situation in Gaza should continue.

Yesterday, Russia and China vetoed a draft resolution submitted by the US to the UN Security Council calling for a temporary cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas for “humanitarian reasons”. Subsequently, the draft resolution tabled by Russia, calling for a “humanitarian truce” and unhindered access of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip besieged by the Israeli army, did not even manage to gather the minimum number of votes.

“We need to continue our efforts, we need to try for a balanced alternative. We are convinced that our alternative was much more balanced”the Kremlin spokesman told reporters.

“We need to call for a ceasefire and we cannot condemn the actions of just one side. The resolution should be balanced and diplomatic efforts should continue,” Peskov said.