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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has once again criticized the ongoing civilian casualties resulting from Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip. There has been growing criticism within the UN about the manner of Israel’s military operations.
On October 8, Reuters reported that Guterres, speaking at a conference in New York, said, “It is a violation of international law for Hamas to use civilians as ‘human shields’. However, when you look at the number of civilians who have died as a result of (Israeli) operations, something is wrong here.”
While strongly condemning the attacks by Hamas on Israel, Guterres urged Israel to differentiate between Hamas and Palestinian civilians, stating, “If this distinction is not made, the meaning of humanity itself will disappear.” He criticized Israel’s counter-terrorism tactics, saying, “In a few days in the Gaza Strip, thousands of children have died, compared to a maximum of a few hundred in most wars we see. This also means something is wrong with how military operations are conducted.” The Gaza Strip’s health department, governed by Hamas, announced that 15,690 Palestinians have died since the outbreak of the conflict, 40% of whom were children. According to Reuters, the Israeli Embassy to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Guterres’ remarks.
This is not the first time Guterres has criticized Israel’s response to this war. Last month, he made remarks criticizing Israel’s occupation of Palestine, which has been ongoing for over 50 years, in the context of Hamas’ attack on Israel, which sparked strong opposition from Israel. Recently, he appealed for a ceasefire, saying, “The Gaza Strip is becoming a graveyard for children.” In response to these remarks, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen emphasized that Israeli children and civilians were also victims, arguing, “The problem in the Gaza Strip is Hamas, not Israel’s efforts to eliminate Hamas.”
Criticism of the Israeli military’s tactics is not limited to Guterres within the UN. Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also criticized both Israel and Hamas for committing war crimes. According to the report, he visited the Rafah border checkpoint connecting the Gaza Strip with Egypt. He pointed out, “The atrocities committed by Palestinian armed groups on October 7 are horrific war crimes, as is their continued holding of hostages.” He added, “It is also a war crime for Israel to collectively punish Palestinian civilians, and it is illegal to displace civilians forcibly.”
The issue of the Israeli military causing civilian casualties, including children, has also been controversial within the U.S. administration. According to documents obtained by Politico, mid-level U.S. diplomats have issued a policy opinion that the U.S. should publicly criticize the ongoing attacks on civilians. In the document, U.S. State Department employees stated, “We must publicly criticize Israel for violating international norms, such as not limiting the targets of attack operations to legitimate military objectives,” and “When Israel uses excessive force against Palestinians, we must publicly convey that this is contrary to American values and prevent Israel from acting as if it has impunity.”
By. Kim Heung Rok
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