The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for a "humanitarian truce" in the fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Assembly members gathered on Friday for the second day of a rare emergency meeting. Delegates from Jordan submitted a draft resolution on behalf of Arab countries calling for a break in the fighting to protect civilians.

A day earlier, Palestinian Permanent Observer to UN Riyad Mansour urged the body "to vote to stop the killing."

However, Israel's envoy said the resolution contained "no words" for what he called the "evil" of Hamas.

Assembly members tried to find acceptable language to reach a two-thirds majority. Representatives from Canada proposed an amendment condemning attacks by Hamas but failed.

The original resolution was adopted with 121 voting in favor, including China and Russia. Forty-four abstained, including Japan. US and Israel were among the 14 voting against.

Israeli Ambassador to UN Gilad Erdan said, "This ridiculous resolution has the audacity to call for a truce. The goal of this resolution's truce is that Israel should cease to defend itself to Hamas, so Hamas can light us on fire."

Erdan added that Israeli forces will continue to defend themselves.

The resolution has only symbolic weight and is without binding legal power.