UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday condemned the IDF’s operation in a Khan Yunis hospital, failing to mention that Hamas was using the hospital as a terrorist base.
"We reiterate once again that hospitals must be kept free of combat, must not be subject to any sort of military action, any type of military action on a hospital must be condemned," Guterres said through his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric.
IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari on Thursday discussed the IDF's operation in the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, exposing footage from the interrogation of a Hamas terrorist, who admitted that dozens of Hamas terrorists were in the hospital during the war and at least ten hostages were held there.
"We don't go into a hospital for no reason," Hagari clarified. "In the Nasser Hospital there are about 400 uninvolved patients, and exactly for that reason the Hamas and Jihad terrorists chose to hide there after the massacre which they committed."
"From interrogations of terrorists and repetitive testimonies, we can conclude that hostages were held in the past on the hospital's premises. In addition, we have information that the bodies of hostages were held in the complex," he added.
Guterres has been repeatedly critical of Israel’s fight against Hamas in Gaza in response to the October 7 massacre.
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.
Just last week, the UN chief was pressed by Channel 12 News correspondent Yuna Leibzon about his ongoing claims that Israel is carrying out “collective punishment” in Gaza.
Asked by Leibzon what he would have done if a terrorist organization had launched a murderous attack against his people, the UN chief replied, “I think there is something wrong in the way the military operations are being conducted.”
When Leibzon pointed out that Hamas hides within civilian populations, Guterres retorted, “I have condemned the use of human shields. I even said that it is a violation of international humanitarian law, but the same international humanitarian law is clear that even when there are human shields, there is an obligation to protect civilians, so in that regard, I think we are abiding by principles without double standards.”