UN Chief Condemns Both Hamas And the ‘Collective Punishment’ of Palestinians
Secretary-general calls attention to "suffocating occupation" of Palestinian people
While the plight of the Palestinian people cannot justify the “appalling attacks by Hamas,” neither can that brutal violence be cause for the “collective punishment” of Palestinian civilians, according to the chief of the United Nations.
While condemning the violence across the board, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also highlighted the history of “suffocating occupation,” which the Palestinian people have endured.
Guterres, who has led the world body since 2017, spoke about the violence unfolding in the Middle East since it began with the brutal Hamas attacks of October 7.
Since then, Israel has been responding by intensifying airstrikes against Gaza’s population of 2.2 million, half of whom are children.
“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,” Guterres said, addressing his UN colleagues. “We must demand that all parties uphold and respect their obligations under international humanitarian law; take constant care in the conduct of military operations to spare civilians; and respect and protect hospitals and respect the inviolability of U.N. facilities which today are sheltering more than 600,000 Palestinians.
“The relentless bombardment of Gaza by Israeli forces, the level of civilian casualties, and the wholesale destruction of neighborhoods continue to mount and are deeply alarming,” he added.
Nearly 6,000 Israelis and Palestinians have been killed in the weeks following October 7.
Guterres also sought to remind the world about the history of the Palestinian people.
“Excellencies, it is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation,” he said. “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.”
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