Israel-UN spat intensifies after Secretary General says Hamas attacks 'did not happen in a vacuum'

A furious diplomatic spat between Israel and the United Nations has broken out, with Israeli officials calling for the resignation of Secretary General Antonio Guterres after he said Hamas' October 7 attacks on the country "did not happen in a vacuum."

At a Security Council meeting, Guterres called for a humanitarian ceasefire on Tuesday amid the deepening crisis in Gaza, and told the Security Council that "clear violations of international humanitarian law" are being witnessed.

He called Hamas' October 7 murder and kidnap rampage "appalling," and said "nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians, or the launching of rockets against civilian targets."

"It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum," Guterres said. "The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation. They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people displaced and their homes demolished."

"But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Excellencies, even war has rules," he added.

His comments angered Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who was in the chamber as Guterres spoke. "In what world do you live?" said Cohen. "Definitely, this is not our world."

Writing on social media later, Cohen said that "after the October 7th massacre, there is no place for a balanced approach. Hamas must be erased off the face of the planet!"