United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday once again criticized Israel over its operation in Gaza, accusing it of “collective punishment” of the people of Gaza.
"It is unimaginable, the level of suffering in Gaza, the level of deaths and destruction have no parallel in everything I've witnessed since (becoming) Secretary-General," Guterres told the AFP news agency.
"We all condemn the terror attacks made by Hamas, as well as the taking of the hostages, that is an absolute violation of international humanitarian law," he added.
"But the truth is that nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people, and that is what we are witnessing in a dramatic way in Gaza," stated Guterres.
"Accountability should be a must" for all civilian deaths, Guterres told AFP, adding that "serious violations" had been perpetrated by both Israel and Hamas.
On the deadlocked talks on a ceasefire and hostage release deal, the UN chief said, "They are endless" and added that it would be "very difficult" to reach a compromise but he remained hopeful.
Guterres has not stopped short of criticizing Israel since the start of the war in Gaza. In late October, the UN Secretary-General said that Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 “did not happen in a vacuum” and appeared to blame Israel for the attack.
After his remarks were widely condemned, the UN chief claimed his comments were misinterpreted and that he had indeed condemned Hamas.
Later, he mentioned the sexual crimes committed by Hamas in its October 7 attack in Israel in the same breath as “reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees”.
Last week, Guterres criticized Israel over a strike in Gaza in which UNRWA staffers were killed, writing in a post on X, “What's happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable. A school turned shelter for around 12,000 people was hit by Israeli airstrikes again today. Six of our UNRWA colleagues are among those killed.”
“These dramatic violations of international humanitarian law need to stop now,” he added.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, later fired back at Guterres and said, “What is 'unacceptable,’ Antonio Guterres, is the fact you refuse to recognize reality and continue to distort it.”
“Terrorists operating out of civilian buildings previously used by UNRWA are not ‘innocent.’ It is unconscionable that the UN continues to condemn Israel in its just war against terrorists, while Hamas continues to use women and children as human shields,” added Danon.
“I suggest you carefully investigate who these terrorists were, what they were doing in the past and what atrocities they were committing when they were eliminated before making statements. I’ll reiterate: Israel will continue its just war against terrorism. The solution is not a ceasefire, but the release of all hostages still held in Gaza and the elimination of Hamas,” said the Israeli Ambassador.