UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres asked to step down by Israel over his remarks on Gaza strikes

As Israel continues to bombard the Palestinian territory in retaliation for Hamas rockets, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday accused Gaza of breaking international law and called for an urgent ceasefire. The Security Council is sharply divided over how to handle the issue.

Israel expressed its displeasure over the UN chief’s request during a high-level Security Council meeting, when the Palestinian foreign minister again criticized what he called inaction in the conflict that has resulted in thousands of deaths on both sides, largely civilians.

UN Secretary General begins the meeting with…

Guterres began the meeting by stating that there was no justification for the “appalling” violence committed on October 7 by Hamas terrorists, but he also cautioned against “collective punishment” of the Palestinians.

“I am deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza. Let me be clear: No party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law,” Guterres said, without explicitly naming Israel. Furthermore, Guterres noted that the Palestinians had been “subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation,” therefore the Hamas strikes “did not happen in a vacuum.”

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Israel asks for UN Chief’s resignation

Eli Cohen, the foreign minister of Israel, was incensed by Guterres’ comments and began to relate graphic details of civilians—including small children—who were slain in the bloodiest single attack in Israeli history while pointing at Guterres and shouting.

“Mr Secretary-General, in what world do you live?” Cohen said.

Cohen denied linking the violence to the occupation and asserted that, with its withdrawal in 2005, Israel had “to the last millimeter” given Gaza to the Palestinians.

After Hamas gained control of the region, Israel quickly established a blockade that has been in place ever since. Israel still occupies the West Bank.

Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, urged for Guterres to step down, writing on X, now known as Twitter, that the UN secretary general has “expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder.”