Israel says it has refused a visa to UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths as a result of comments at the UN by secretary-general António Guterres.
Israeli media reports that Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said on army radio:
Due to his remarks we will refuse to issue visas to UN representatives. We have already refused a visa for under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths. The time has come to teach them a lesson.
Israel has called on UN secretary general Guterres to resign after he said that the“appalling attacks” by Hamas against Israel on 7 October cannot justify the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people”, and spoke of “the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza.”
Guterres had said “Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians – or the launching of rockets against civilian targets. All hostages must be treated humanely and released immediately and without conditions.”
Addressing the UN, the secretary-general then went on to say the attack on Israel did not happen “in a vacuum” and followed “56 years of suffocating occupation” for the Palestinian people by Israel, adding “They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing.”
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said Guterres should resign, calling the speech “shocking”, saying that “he views the massacre committed by Nazi Hamas terrorists in a distorted and immoral manner”.
The UK government has said it does not agree with the assessment of UN secretary-general António Guterres that there have been “clear violations of international humanitarian law” by Israel in Gaza, where over 5,700 civilians are reported dead since 7 October.
Minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News:
We don’t agree with that. If he is referring to what has happened over the course of the last two weeks, we don’t believe Israel has broken international law. There is a clear right in international law for a nation to defend itself, and that is what Israel is doing.
We do want to see Israel, wherever practical — and it is immensely difficult to do — to surgically degrade and eradicate Hamas. That is what they are trying to do and we obviously hope they succeed because the world will be a better place … it will be a blessing if we can rid the world of Hamas.
The Israeli military has ordered the civilian population to evacuate south below the Wadi Gaza, and Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip. It has continued to bombard the southern area of Gaza where it has told civilians to relocate to.
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, has written to prime ministers and presidents across the EU ahead of a summit tomorrow afternoon to express “grave concern” of the growing crisis in Gaza. He said:
The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to be of grave concern. We need to discuss, firstly, how to urgently ensure the effective delivery of humanitarian aid, and access to the most basic needs. Secondly, we must engage, in a united and coherent front, with partners to avoid a dangerous regional escalation of the conflict. Furthermore, relaunching the peace process based on the two-state solution is the only way forward. Lastly, we should address the effects of this conflict in the EU – this includes looking at its implications for the cohesion of our societies, our security, and migratory movements.
The UK government minister Robert Jenrick said he was “not going to comment directly” on remarks made by the UN secretary-general, António Guterres, but said no comparison should be made between Israel and Hamas.
PA Media reports that asked on Sky News about Guterres saying it is important to recognise “the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum”, Jenrick said:
I don’t think you should be comparing Israel to Hamas and neither should you be suggesting in any way that innocent Israeli civilians are to blame or have any culpability for what happened.
The events of two weeks ago were exclusively the responsibility of Hamas, one of the most evil and murderous, barbaric organisations in the world.
So whether it is the secretary-general or anyone else, the blame for the tragedy we are currently seeing in Palestine and Gaza and Israel lies squarely with Hamas.
They are the enemy of the Gazan population because they are using people in Gaza as human shields and they are subjecting civilians in Gaza, as in Israel, to the most appalling and tragic consequences of their actions.
Israel has called for Guterres to resign over the comments, in which he said he was concerned about “the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza”.
The Hamas-run health ministry in the territory claims that Israel has killed more than 5,700 Palestinians, including more than 2,000 children, in an aerial bombardment launched after Hamas made its surprise attack inside Israel on 7 October.
Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has said 2023-24 national budget was “no longer relevant” given the war against Hamas and would be amended. Reuters reports he put the direct cost of the war at $246m a day (£202m/€232m).
AP has a little more detail on Israeli strikes on Syria which Syrian state media has said have killed eight Syrian soldiers and wounded seven others.
Citing the Sana state-run news agency, AP reports the strikes targeted the Daraa countryside overnight, and came from the direction of the Golan Heights.
Since the war between Israel and Hamas started on 7 October, Israel has carried out several reported strikes in Syria including two on the Damascus airport and three on Aleppo’s airport.
Israel has targeted airports and seaports in the government-held parts of Syria in an apparent attempt to prevent arms shipments from Iran to militant groups including Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Earlier the Israeli military said its fighter jets struck “military infrastructure and mortar launchers” of the Syrian army “in response to rocket launches from Syria toward Israel yesterday”.
Israel says it has refused a visa to UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths as a result of comments at the UN by secretary-general António Guterres.
Israeli media reports that Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said on army radio:
Due to his remarks we will refuse to issue visas to UN representatives. We have already refused a visa for under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths. The time has come to teach them a lesson.
Israel has called on UN secretary general Guterres to resign after he said that the“appalling attacks” by Hamas against Israel on 7 October cannot justify the “collective punishment of the Palestinian people”, and spoke of “the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza.”
Guterres had said “Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians – or the launching of rockets against civilian targets. All hostages must be treated humanely and released immediately and without conditions.”
Addressing the UN, the secretary-general then went on to say the attack on Israel did not happen “in a vacuum” and followed “56 years of suffocating occupation” for the Palestinian people by Israel, adding “They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing.”
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said Guterres should resign, calling the speech “shocking”, saying that “he views the massacre committed by Nazi Hamas terrorists in a distorted and immoral manner”.
Reuters reports that the head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah met with leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, according to a report on Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV.
The meeting grouped Hezbollah’s Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, with Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri, and Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhala, al-Manar reported.
Our diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour recommends reading António Guterres’ speech at the UN in full. Israel has called on Guterres to resign after the address in New York.
In particular, my colleague highlights that Gutterres said “the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas”, “I have condemned unequivocally the horrifying and unprecedented 7 October acts of terror by Hamas in Israel”, and “Nothing can justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians – or the launching of rockets against civilian targets.”
Daniel Hurst is Guardian Australia’s foreign affairs and defence correspondent:
Israel’s ambassador to Australia has insisted the humanitarian situation in Gaza is “fair” after Penny Wong’s warning that the besieged strip had “nowhere near enough” access to aid supplies.
The Australian foreign minister called on Wednesday for “humanitarian pauses on hostilities, so food, water, medicine and other essential assistance can reach people in desperate need, and so civilians can get to safety”.
The Israeli ambassador, Amir Maimon, pointed to the recent entry of aid trucks from Egypt to the Gaza Strip when asked about Wong’s comments.
“With all due respect, the minister for foreign affairs represents Australia and I represent Israel,” he said. “According to our information and my knowledge, the humanitarian situation is fair.”
Maimon said there was “no moral equivalence” between Israel and Hamas: “We are the victims, we are not the aggressors.”
Maimon made the comments after the UN secretary general, António Guterres, called for an immediate ceasefire to ease the “epic suffering” in Gaza, after more than 700 people were reportedly killed in a single day and hospitals began to shut down for lack of fuel.
Read more of Daniel Hurst’s report here: Israel ambassador claims his country is the victim as Penny Wong warns of ‘desperate need’ in Gaza
Eight Syrian military personnel have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on Deraa, Syrian state media has reported, according to Reuters.
The Israeli military had earlier said it had launched airstrikes on “military infrastructure and mortar launchers belonging to the Syrian Army” in response to rocket launches from Syria on Tuesday.
Czech prime minister Petr Fiala and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer are set to arrive in Israel on Wednesday to show support for Israel, following in the footsteps of leaders from France, Germany, the US and the UK, among others.
Commentators have speculated that the stream of international leaders may also be aimed at delaying the expected ground invasion of Gaza.
The leaders will hold talks with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog, spokespeople for both governments said, according to Reuters.
Nehammer will also meet with the family of an Austrian-Israeli national who is currently being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Austrian government said in a statement.
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2023-10-25 07:48:00Z
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