UN slams Israel over civilian death toll in Gaza, warns of possible war crimes

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Reuters on December 3 that there were “fundamentally wrong” aspects in how Israel conducted its military operation in the Gaza Strip, and he said there are “strong reasons to believe” that war crimes may have been committed.

“I think there was something fundamentally wrong in the way this operation was conducted, with total neglect for the deaths of civilians and the destruction of Gaza,” Guterres said during an interview at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York.

“The objective was to destroy Hamas. Gaza is destroyed, but Hamas is not yet destroyed. So there is something fundamentally wrong with the way this is conducted,” he added to Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 70,000 people have been killed during the two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas. The war began with a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken.

When asked directly if war crimes had occurred, Guterres responded: “There are strong reasons to believe that that possibility might be a reality.”

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon countered, telling Reuters: “The only crime committed is the moral abomination that more than two years after the horrific massacres of October 7, the U.N. Secretary-General has still not visited Israel — and has instead used his elevated platform to lambast and condemn Israel and Israelis at every opportunity.”

However, in October of last year, then-Foreign Minister Israel Katz—now serving as defence minister—said he had barred Guterres from entering the country.

A fragile truce has been in place since October 10, but Israel has continued striking Gaza and carrying out demolitions targeting what it describes as Hamas infrastructure. Both Hamas and Israel have blamed each other for violations of the U.S.-backed agreement.

Guterres also praised the United States, Israel’s ally, for playing a key role in improving humanitarian aid access in Gaza. In August, a global hunger monitor reported that famine conditions had emerged in the enclave.

“There is excellent cooperation in humanitarian aid between the U.N. and the U.S., and I hope this will be maintained and developed,” he said.

The U.N. has long cited obstacles in delivering and distributing aid in Gaza, attributing delays to Israel and the general lawlessness in the territory. Israel, in turn, has criticised the U.N.-led operation, accusing Hamas of diverting aid, a claim that the militant group denies.

By Tamilla Hasanova