UN chief says ‘clear violations of international humanitarian law’ in Gaza

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has renewed his demand for a ceasefire in Gaza and said that international law was being violated in the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas.
Israel has bombarded the besieged Gaza Strip relentlessly since October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killling at least 1,400 people according to Israeli authorities.
Speaking before the 15-member UN Security Council on Tuesday, Guterres pleaded for civilians to be protected and warned that the fighting risked a wider conflagration in the region.
Guterres also criticised Israel without naming it, saying, “protecting civilians does not mean ordering more than one million people to evacuate to the south, where there is no shelter, no food, no water, no medicine and no fuel, and then continuing to bomb the south itself.”
The secretary-general’s comments drew ire from Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan, who called the speech “shocking”.
Erdan, called on Guterres to resign - posting on X, formerly known as Twitter “His statement that ‘the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum’ expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder,”.
“It’s truly sad that the head of an organisation that arose after the Holocaust holds such horrible views.”
In his speech, Guterres called the attack by Hamas “horrifying and unprecedented” and demanded the release of the roughly 200 people captured and held captive by Hamas.
Antonio Guterres has also appealed for an immediate ceasefire.

Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey reports for the UN headquarters in New York.