Without naming the individual countries, Trump accused them of rewarding Hamas for the deadly October 7 attacks.
Guterres stated that the primary duty of leaders is to choose peace and, without mentioning any specific nations, he appealed to all parties, including those present in the Assembly chamber, to cease supporting Sudan’s conflicting parties.
He also refrained from naming Israel but used his strongest language to criticize its actions in Gaza, noting that the magnitude of death and destruction is the worst he has witnessed in nearly nine years as secretary-general, emphasizing that “nothing can justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people”.
Although Guterres has consistently stated that only a court can decide if Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, he specifically mentioned the case South Africa presented to the UN’s highest court under the genocide convention, highlighting its legally binding provisional measures, foremost among them being the protection of Palestinian civilians.
Israel rejects all allegations of genocide and maintains that its actions in Gaza are a justified form of self-defence. Hamas militants killed approximately 1,200 people, the majority of whom were civilians, and abducted 251 individuals during the attack on October 7, 2023.
In retaliation, Israel has killed over 65,100 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-controlled health ministry, and has displaced roughly 90% of the population, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis and what experts have deemed a famine.
– reported with Associated Press.
