Israel’s Foreign Ministry sharply condemned UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday evening over his recent criticism of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Guterres had posted a statement on X, expressing his outrage, saying, “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.”
In its rebuttal, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein responded, “We are outraged that you, Antonio Guterres, are the Secretary-General of the UN.” He further pointed out, “Not a word about the fact that Hamas rejected two American proposals to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages—two proposals that Israel accepted.”
Marmorstein also criticized Guterres for failing to address the ongoing issue with Hamas, saying, “Not a word about the fact that Hamas exploits the transfer of goods to Gaza to rebuild its war machine in order to further attack Israel.” He continued with further condemnation, saying, “Not a word about UNRWA, which, under your leadership, employs Hamas terrorists, and its facilities were used by Hamas to hold hostages. Indeed, we are outraged by your moral bankruptcy.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s statement came after Israel launched surprise airstrikes early Tuesday morning. This action followed Hamas’s refusal to release additional hostages and its rejection of a proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff.
In a televised address later on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu informed the nation of Israel’s return to military action, stating, “We returned to fighting with strength, on the recommendation of security officials.” He emphasized that this was just the start, affirming, “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.” Netanyahu made it clear that future negotiations would only take place under fire, saying, “From now on, negotiations will only take place under fire.”
He also recounted Israel’s efforts to extend the ceasefire, saying, “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 concluded.
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