UN Secretary-General Urges More Humanitarian Aid Be Allowed into Gaza

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres again called for a ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday, sparking backlash from Israeli officials. 

Key Quotes: Guterres stated, “the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation.” Gutterres added, “the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.” Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan called Guterres' statements “shocking” and called on the Secretary-General to resign, stating, “the Secretary-General is completely disconnected from the reality in our region and that he views the massacre committed by Nazi Hamas terrorists in a distorted and immoral manner… It’s truly sad that the head of an organisation that arose after the Holocaust holds such horrible views”

Details: United Nations agencies are urging more emergency aid be allowed into Gaza as bombings continue. In addition to Gueterres’ call for a ceasefire, United States and Canadian officials are urging additional humanitarian efforts for the residents of Gaza. While the U.S. is not in support of a ceasefire, Reuters (Center bias) quoted an unnamed U.S. official calling for “humanitarian pauses linked to the delivery of aid that still allow Israel to conduct military operations to defend itself.”

How the Media Covered It: While Israeli officials' response to Guterres’ statements were included in coverage across the spectrum, some right-rated outlets framed coverage of the statements entirely around Israeli backlash.