UN chief: Israel’s Gaza conduct ‘fundamentally wrong,’ ‘strong reasons’ to say war crimes committed

There was something “fundamentally wrong” with how Israel conducted its military operation in the Gaza Strip and there are “strong reasons to believe” that war crimes have been committed, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tells Reuters.

“I think there was something fundamentally wrong in the way this operation was conducted with total neglect in relation to the deaths of civilians and to the destruction of Gaza,” Guterres says in 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 says.

Israel’s mission to the United Nations in New York does not immediately respond to a request for comment on Guterres’ remarks, but has criticized the UN chief’s remarks in the past.

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

Guterres praised the United States – an ally of Israel – for being instrumental in improving aid access in Gaza.

“There is an excellent cooperation in the humanitarian aid between the UN and the US, and I hope that this will be maintained and developed,” he says.

The UN has long complained of obstacles to delivering and distributing aid in Gaza, blaming impediments on Israel and lawlessness. Israel has criticized the UN-led operation and accused Hamas of stealing aid.