UN chief Guterres says Israel's conduct of war in Gaza 'fundamentally wrong'

Highlights:

• Guterres: total neglect in relation to civilian deaths, destruction in Gaza
• US instrumental in improving aid access in Gaza, says Guterres
• Still far from a solution to the war in Ukraine, says Guterres

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 told Reuters on Wednesday.

"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 said 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 told Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni.

War crimes

More than 70,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the enclave's health ministry, during the two-year-old conflict between Israel and Palestinian fighters Hamas. The war was triggered by an October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people in which 251 hostages were taken.

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

In response, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon told Reuters: "The only crime committed is the moral abomination that more than two years after the horrific massacres of October 7, the UN Secretary General has still not visited Israel — and has instead used his elevated platform to lambast and condemn Israel and Israelis at every opportunity."

However, in October last year, then-Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz - now the defense minister - said he had barred Guterres from entering the country.

A fragile truce has been in place since October 10, but Israel has continued to strike Gaza and conduct demolitions against what it says is Hamas infrastructure. Hamas and Israel have traded blame for violating the US-backed agreement.

Guterres praised the United States - an ally of Israel - for being instrumental in improving aid access in Gaza, where a global hunger monitor said in August that famine had taken hold.

"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 said.

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, which the fighters denied.

'Far from solution' on Ukraine

Guterres said negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine appeared stuck and that the solution to the conflict should abide by international law and the territorial integrity of states.

"Is it going to be so? Probably not," he said. "I believe we are still far from a solution."

"The violation of these rules is extremely dangerous because everywhere in the world people will feel that they can do whatever they want because international law doesn't matter anymore. And so I hope that the way the negotiations end will respect these principles, even if I understand that will not be easy," Guterres said.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, triggering the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the depths of the Cold War. The United States is trying to broker an end to the conflict.

Trump and the UN

US President Donald Trump has described the UN as having "great potential" but said it is not fulfilling that. He has slashed US foreign aid and wants to further cut US funding for the United Nations.

Guterres described the UN approach to the Trump administration: "Do not make any concession that puts into question the fidelity of the values we defend, but not to engage in polemics that serve no purpose."

"I'm not interested in having any polemic with the US administration. I'm interested in preserving the values of UN and preserving the values in which I believe we can build a world that is more fair, in which international law is respected, and in which the huge inequalities that exist can be overcome," Guterres said.

He said the US cuts had "created an opportunity" for him to push for UN reforms, but that there had been dramatic consequences on the ground: "A reduction of the levels of humanitarian aid that is provided, as we are witnessing now, makes many people die."

Venezuela

On US strikes on vessels near Venezuela, Guterres said the United Nations had been clear that those actions were not compatible with international law.

US troops have carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, killing at least 83 people as Trump escalates a military buildup against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government.

"I have no particular sympathy for the regime in Venezuela and the violations of human rights that were committed that are well known, but I don't think military confrontation would be the solution for the problem," he said.