As it has in previous months, Israel renewed its criticism of the United Nations, which condemned several violations occurring in the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of war on October 7, following the assault by Hamas on settlements and a military base in the Gaza envelope. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of concealing a report on Hamas's violations and absolving it of responsibility. In a tweet on his X platform account on Tuesday, Katz stated that Guterres "has brought the UN to its lowest levels by ignoring the horrific crimes being committed against Israelis." He also accused him of participating in "attempts to defame Israel and undermine its right to defend itself."
Katz claimed yesterday that the new UN report "revealed shocking details about the atrocities committed by Hamas, including mass killings, rape, and systematic sexual crimes." However, he accused Guterres of silence and urged him to take action and classify Hamas as a terrorist entity. He also summoned his country's ambassador to the UN for consultation regarding alleged attempts by the UN to "suppress" a report on sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas.
In contrast, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed that Guterres "fully supports" the work of Pramila Patten, emphasizing that he "did nothing in any way to keep the report under wraps." This came after Patten, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, presented her report to the UN on Monday. The report indicated that there are "reasonable grounds to believe" that acts of sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, occurred in several locations during the assault launched by Hamas on October 7, where dozens of hostages were held within the sector. It is noteworthy that the Israeli representative at the UN has repeatedly criticized the organization, as well as its Secretary-General, whom he has previously called to resign.
