Israel’s Foreign Ministry Slams UN Chief Guterres Over Gaza Criticism Amid Renewed Fighting

By:  Fern Sidman

In a sharply worded rebuke, Israel’s Foreign Ministry lashed out Tuesday night at United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres following his public condemnation of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, as was reported by Israel National News. The diplomatic clash marks a new low in the already strained relationship between Israel and the UN leadership, as tensions over the Gaza war continue to escalate.

Guterres took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express outrage over the resumption of Israeli military operations, stating: “I am outraged by the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. I strongly appeal for the ceasefire to be respected, for unimpeded humanitarian assistance to be re-established and for the remaining hostages to be released unconditionally.”

The statement triggered an immediate and fierce response from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which accused Guterres of moral hypocrisy and deliberate omission of critical facts regarding Hamas’s actions and the broader context of the conflict.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein delivered an unflinching reply, stating: “We are outraged that you, António Guterres, are the Secretary-General of the UN.”

As reported by Israel National News, Marmorstein criticized Guterres for failing to mention that Hamas had rejected two separate ceasefire extension proposals brokered by the United States—proposals that Israel had agreed to. “Not a word about the fact that Hamas rejected two American proposals to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages—two proposals that Israel accepted,” Marmorstein said.

He went further, accusing the Secretary-General of glossing over Hamas’s strategic manipulation of humanitarian corridors. “Not a word about the fact that Hamas exploits the transfer of goods to Gaza to rebuild its war machine in order to further attack Israel,” he added.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson also took direct aim at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks. “Not a word about UNRWA, which, under your leadership, employs Hamas terrorists, and its facilities were used by Hamas to hold hostages,” Marmorstein said, as was indicated in the Israel National News report. He alluded to widely reported allegations that UNRWA infrastructure was co-opted by Hamas operatives.

“Indeed, we are outraged by your moral bankruptcy,” Marmorstein concluded.

As the Israel National News report detailed, Israel resumed airstrikes in Gaza early Tuesday after diplomatic negotiations to extend the ceasefire broke down. According to the report, Hamas had rejected a new proposal presented by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, which would have involved the release of more Israeli hostages in exchange for a continuation of the truce.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation later that evening, confirming that the return to combat operations had been made at the recommendation of Israel’s security establishment.

“We returned to fighting with strength, on the recommendation of security officials,” Netanyahu said in his televised address. “We extended the ceasefire in the weeks in which we did not receive any hostages, we sent delegations to Doha, we accepted the proposal of US envoy Witkoff, but on the other hand Hamas rejected every proposal.”

“I accepted the recommendation of the IDF and the security establishment to return to fighting,” Netanyahu added, as per the information in the Israel National News report.

The exchange between Israel and the UN Secretary-General comes amid a broader diplomatic fallout over the conflict in Gaza, with Israeli officials increasingly accusing international institutions of bias and selective moral outrage. As highlighted in the Israel National News report, Israeli leaders have grown especially frustrated with a clear cut imbalance in global criticism — one that consistently ignores Hamas’s violations while placing disproportionate scrutiny on Israel’s military responses.

The public dispute with Guterres is emblematic of that sentiment, as Jerusalem pushes back against a narrative that fails to hold Hamas accountable for its ongoing acts of aggression and intransigence in negotiations.

As the situation in Gaza grows increasingly complex, and with ceasefire diplomacy faltering, the friction between Israel and the UN is likely to intensify — further complicating efforts to restore calm in the region.