UN chief slams Israel at General Assembly ahead of Netanyahu speech

“Nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people and the systematic destruction of Gaza,” Guterres said.

By World Israel News Staff

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres sharply criticized Israel over the war in Gaza on Tuesday, accusing it of the “collective punishment” of Palestinians and “systematic destruction” in the Strip as he delivered his final address to the UN General Assembly as secretary-general.

Guterres devoted a significant portion of his remarks on global conflicts to Gaza, declaring that the situation was approaching a “third monstrous year” and claiming that the scale of death and destruction surpassed that of any other conflict during his nearly decade-long tenure as UN chief.

He pointed to provisional measures issued by the International Court of Justice in the genocide case against Israel and called for their immediate implementation. The ICJ has not ruled that Israel committed genocide, and Israel has strongly rejected the accusation, saying its military campaign is directed against Hamas and other terrorist groups rather than Gaza’s civilian population.

Guterres briefly addressed the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, saying that “nothing can justify” the terrorist attacks or the taking of hostages, before turning back to his criticism of Israel.

“Nothing can justify the horrific Hamas terror attacks of October 7 and taking of hostages, those of which I have repeatedly condemned,” Guterres said. “And nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people and the systematic destruction of Gaza.”

The secretary-general called for a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza. He also renewed his support for a two-state solution and demanded an end to Israeli settlement expansion and what he described as the threat of annexation.

His remarks set the stage for a sharply contrasting message from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Thursday and has vowed to use the UN podium to defend Israel and the IDF against accusations over the war.

Netanyahu previewed that message Tuesday in a forceful response to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has called the Israeli premier a “war criminal” and previously said he would seek to have him arrested pursuant to the International Criminal Court warrant against him.

“Shame on you, Mr. Mamdani,” Netanyahu said. “Shame on you for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people. Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews.”

Netanyahu then turned to his upcoming appearance at the General Assembly.

“I’m coming to the UN,” he said. “I’m going to tell the truth about our heroic soldiers, and I’m going to tell the truth about you.”