UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized Israel on Tuesday, after it launched strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. “I am outraged by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. I strongly appeal for the ceasefire to be respected, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be reestablished and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally,” wrote Guterres in a post on social media site X. Israel launched the surprise strikes early Tuesday morning after Hamas refused to release more hostages and rejected US envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation on Tuesday evening following the surprise strikes, saying, "We returned to fighting with strength, on the recommendation of security officials." "This is just the beginning. We will continue to fight to achieve the goals of the war and the promise that Gaza will not pose a threat to Israel," he said. "From now on, negotiations will only take place under fire." "We extended the ceasefire in the weeks in which we did not receive any hostages, we sent delegations to Doha, we accepted the proposal of US envoy Witkoff, but on the other hand Hamas rejected every proposal. I accepted the recommendation of the IDF and the security establishment to return to fighting," Netanyahu added. Guterres has regularly been critical of Israel since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Several weeks after the massacre, the UN Secretary-General said that Hamas’ attack on Israel “did not happen in a vacuum” and appeared to blame Israel for the attack. After his remarks were widely condemned, the UN chief claimed his comments were misinterpreted and that he had indeed condemned Hamas. Later, he mentioned the sexual crimes committed by Hamas in its October 7 attack in Israel in the same breath as “reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees”. Related articles: ‘We are outraged you’re Secretary-General’ UN chief urges Israel to allow aid into Gaza without delay 'Guterres, Turk have blood of Kfir & Ariel on their hands' UN chief calls for ceasefire, silent on freed hostages Subsequently, Guterres appeared to equate between Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel and the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. More recently, Guterres last month called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and for the establishment of a Palestinian state, but made no mention of the difficult physical state of three hostages who had been released by Hamas that day after 491 days in captivity.
