Israel knew UN head would not convene Security Council on rape report, official says

Foreign Minister Israel Katz’s decision to recall UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan for consultations shortly after a UN report accusing Hamas of rape came from advance knowledge that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had no intention of calling an emergency session of the Security Council or General Assembly to discuss the report, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

Katz said earlier today on X that the move was made due to Guterres “acting to soften the serious report that he himself ordered on the sexual offenses of Hamas, trying to keep Hamas from being held responsible and not ordering that the Security Council be immediately convened to discuss the report and recognize Hamas as a terror group, with all the sanctions that entails, while calling for an unconditional release of all hostages.”