Israel slams UN chief Gaza comments

The foreign minister of Israel declared on Tuesday that Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, was unfit to lead the organisation because he had not gone far enough in denouncing the terrorist organisation Hamas and was too close to Iran.

During a press conference held within the U.N. building in Geneva, he made remarks that reflected a sharpening of Israel’s disapproval of the organisation during the week in which the latter was lamenting the deaths of over a hundred of its employees in Gaza.

Eli Cohen, the foreign minister of Israel, stated that Guterres was unfit to lead the UN.

“Guterres does not deserve to be the head of the United Nations,” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said.

“I think that Guterres like all the free nations should say clearly and loudly: free Gaza from Hamas. Everyone said Hamas is worse than ISIS. Why can he not say it?” he added.

Cohen was in Geneva for a meeting with the families of Israeli hostages as well as representatives from the World Health Organisation and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

In the past, Guterres has claimed that there was something “wrong” with Israel’s military operation, which has killed over 11,000 people so far in retaliation for 1,200 people who were killed by Hamas on October 7. Another 240 individuals, including children, the wounded, and the elderly, were taken into custody from Israel.

After meeting with ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric earlier on Tuesday, Cohen expressed his expectation that the neutral organisation would take further action to free the hostages.

“I think that the minimum is the Red Cross will meet the hostages; the minimum is they receive a proof of life; and the minimum (is) that they will transfer the medicine to the hostages who are needing it,” he stated.

(With agency inputs)