Secretary-General Antonio Guterres claims devastation of Gaza during war against Hamas constitutes ‘collective punishment,’ calling it unparalleled in recent history.
By World Israel News Staff
The secretary-general of the United Nations accused Israel of carrying out “collective punishment” against Palestinian Arabs living in the Gaza Strip, saying “nothing justifies” the way the current war against the Hamas terror organization is being waged.
Speaking with AFP on Monday, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7th and the taking of over 250 hostages, but added that not even Hamas atrocities justify Israel’s current war in 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 said Monday.
“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.”
“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.”
“Accountability should be a must,” Guterres said regarding collateral damage, saying both Israel and Hamas were guilty of “serious violations.”
Turning to efforts to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Guterres lamented that the talks “are endless,” adding that it would be “very difficult” to achieve a breakthrough.
Guterres has frequently criticized Israel over its handling of the war in Gaza.
Last week, the Secretary-General blasted the IDF after the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) claimed that six of its employees were killed in a pair of Israeli airstrikes in the city of Nuseirat in central Gaza.
“What’s happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable,” Guterres tweeted. “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.”
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, fired back, noting UNRWA’s extensive links to terrorist groups, including Hamas, and suggesting the six UNRWA employees killed were themselves terrorists.
“What is ‘unacceptable,’ Antonio Guterres, is the fact you refuse to recognize reality and continue to distort it,” tweeted Danon.
“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.”