United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres continued his criticism of Israel on Sunday, this time condemning the “heartbreaking” and “utterly unacceptable” killings of Palestinian Arab civilians in Gaza.
“Israel’s military operations have spread massive destruction and killed civilians on a scale unprecedented during my time as secretary-general,” Guterres said at the opening of a summit of the G77+China in Uganda, according to Politico.
He renewed calls for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire to relieve the suffering in Gaza, allow humanitarian aid to reach everyone in need, and facilitate the release of hostages, which should be immediate and unconditional.”
Guterres also said that the refusal to take steps toward a two-state solution in the Mideast is “totally unacceptable.”
He added that the “denial of the right to statehood for the Palestinian people would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security.”
Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, Guterres has been repeatedly critical of Israel. In one incident, he said that Hamas’ attack on Israel “did not happen in a vacuum” and appeared to blame Israel for the attack.
After his remarks were widely condemned, Guterres claimed his comments were misinterpreted and that he had indeed condemned Hamas.
He later criticized Israel once again, claiming that the high numbers of civilian casualties reported from Gaza show that there is something "clearly wrong" with Israel's response to the Hamas attack on October 7.
Last week, Guterres wrote on X, “The longer the conflict in Gaza continues, the greater the risk of escalation and miscalculation. We cannot see in Lebanon what we are seeing in Gaza. And we cannot allow what has been happening in Gaza to continue.”
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, later responded to the UN chief and suggested he call out Iran and its terrorist proxies.
“Mr. Secretary-General, despite your cryptic words, what is happening in the Middle East didn’t erupt out of the blue. Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, under Iran’s direction, are driving the region to a point of no return,” wrote Erdan.
“Talk to the person solely to blame for all the terror and violence – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. I’m sure he’d love to speak with you,” added Erdan.
“The time has come for you to differentiate between good and evil. The very least you can do is call out the terrorists. Stop whitewashing the crimes of Iran and its terror proxies!” concluded the Israeli ambassador.