UN officials to be denied visas, Antonio Guterres told to quit

Israel will deny UN officials visas and has called on Antonio Guterres to resign after he said the October 7 Hamas attacks ‘did not happen in a ­vacuum’.

Egyptian soldiers escort Antonio Guterres during his visit to Rafah last week. Picture: AFP

Israel will deny UN officials visas and has called on Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to resign after he said the October 7 Hamas attacks “did not happen in a ­vacuum”.

Israel voiced anger over the UN chief’s plea for an immediate ceasefire before a high-level session of the Security Council overnight on Tuesday, 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.

Opening the session, Mr ­Guterres said there was no excuse for the “appalling” violence by Hamas militants on October 7 but also warned 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,” Mr Guterres said, without explicitly naming Israel.

Mr Guterres also said the Hamas attacks “did not happen in a vacuum” as the Palestinians have been “subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation”.

His remarks infuriated Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who, pointing his finger at Mr Guterres and raising his voice, recounted graphic accounts of civilians including young children killed in the deadliest single attack in Israeli history. “Mr Secretary-General, in what world do you live?” Mr Cohen said.

Rejecting tying the violence to the occupation, Mr Cohen said ­Israel gave Gaza to the Palestinians “to the last millimetre” with its withdrawal in 2005. Israel shortly afterwards imposed a blockade of the impoverished territory, in place ever since, after Hamas took power, and it still occupies the West Bank.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called on Mr Guterres to resign, writing on X that the UN chief had “expressed an understanding for terrorism and murder”.

Speaking later to Army Radio, Mr Erdan said: “Due to his remarks we will refuse to issue visas to UN representatives.”

Hamas militants stormed into Israel on October 7 and attacked largely civilian targets, including families and a music festival, killing at least 1400 people and taking more than 220 hostages. More than 5700 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in retaliatory Israeli bombardments, the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry said.

Mr Guterres, who travelled to the crossing between Egypt and Gaza in a push to let in assistance, welcomed the entry of three aid convoys so far through the Rafah crossing but 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 on Wednesday because of a lack of fuel. “To ease epic suffering, make the delivery of aid easier and safer, and facilitate the release of hos­tages, I reiterate my appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” Mr Guterres said.

Israel has rejected calls to halt the offensive, saying it would only allow Hamas to regroup. The US last week ­vetoed a draft resolution on the crisis because it did not sufficiently support Israel’s right to respond to Hamas.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked the Security Council to back a new US-led resolution that “incorporates substantive feedback”. The draft, seen by Agence France-Presse, would defend the “inherent right of all states” to self-defence while calling for compliance with international law. It would back “humanitarian pauses” to let in aid but not a full ceasefire. 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.

Foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki of the Palestinian Authority, run by Hamas rivals, called in­action by the Security Council “inexcusable”, as did Jordan, another US partner. “The Security Council must take a clear stance to reassure two billion Arabs and Muslims that international law will be applied,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said. Jordan and Russia are among nations seeking a Thursday meeting of the UN General Assembly, whose resolutions are non-binding, because of the Security Council deadlock.

AFP