UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pointed out to Reuters today that "the number of civilians killed in the Gaza Strip clearly indicates that there is something wrong with the Israeli military operations in Gaza." He added, "Hamas commits violations when it uses people as human shields, but when one looks at the number of civilians killed in military operations, it becomes evident that there is necessarily something wrong."
Guterres emphasized that "it is also important to make Israel understand that it is not in its interest to present a daily horrific image of the tragic humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people... this does not support Israel in the eyes of global public opinion." He compared the number of children killed in Gaza to child casualties in conflicts around the world, which the Secretary-General reports on annually. He continued, "Each year, the maximum number of children killed by any of the actors in all the conflicts we witness reaches hundreds," and added, "We have thousands of children killed in Gaza within a few days, which indicates a clear mistake in the conduct of military operations."
