Israeli Officials Slam UN Chief Over Comments on Hamas Attacks
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen criticized UN Secretary-General António Guterres for his comments suggesting that Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on the western Negev was a result of “56 years of suffocating occupation” by Israel. The assault, launched from Gaza, resulted in over 1,400 Israeli casualties and more than 5,100 injuries.
Cohen sharply retorted at a UN Security Council meeting, “Mr. Secretary-General, in what world do you live?” and later announced the cancellation of a private meeting with Guterres via social media platform X. He stated, “After Oct. 7, there is no place for a balanced approach. Hamas must be erased from the world.”
Israeli UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan and Minister Without Portfolio Benny Gantz also lambasted Guterres. Erdan called for Guterres’s immediate resignation, while Gantz tweeted, “Days when the UN secretary-general supports terrorism are dark days for the world.”
Other Israeli officials, including Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and former UN Ambassador Danny Danon, joined in criticizing Guterres, calling on him to either apologize or resign.
