UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday alleged violations of international law in Gaza and urged an immediate ceasefire as Israel pounds the Palestinian territory in response to Hamas attacks, with the crisis deeply dividing the Security Council.
Israel voiced anger over the UN chief's plea before a high-level session of the Security Council, where the Palestinian foreign minister in turn denounced what he described as inaction in the conflict that has killed thousands on both sides, mostly civilians.
Guterres also said that the Hamas attacks "did not happen in a vacuum" as the Palestinians have been "subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation." Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, called on Guterres to resign - writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the UN chief has "expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder."Hamas militants stormed into Israel on 7 October and attacked largely civilian targets including families and a music festival, killing at least 1,400 people and taking more than 220 hostages, according to Israeli officials.
But Guterres said it was "a drop of aid in an ocean of need," as the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned it would be forced to stop working Wednesday due to lack of fuel. Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked the Security Council to back a new US-led resolution that "incorporates substantive feedback."
Veto-wielding Russia - accustomed to being on the receiving end at the Security Council over its invasion of Ukraine - quickly said it would oppose the US draft, which also came under criticism from US regional ally Egypt.
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