The UN Secretary General has said he is "shocked" by the reaction to his comments yesterday, over which the Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations called for his resignation.
"I am shocked by misinterpretations by some of my statement yesterday in the Security Council – as if it was justifying acts of terror by Hamas," Mr Guterres told reporters this morning at UN headquarters in New York.
"This is false," he added, "it was the opposite."
At yesterday's Security Council meeting, Mr Guterres condemned the attacks by Hamas and said that nothing could "justify the deliberate killing, injuring and kidnapping of civilians".
He went on to say it was important to also recognise that the attacks "did not happen in a vacuum" and that the Palestinian people had been "subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation".
His comments immediately drew an angry response from the Israeli mission to the United Nations. The Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said his comments expressed "an understanding for terrorism and murder".
Writing on social media, Ambassador Erdan called for the UN chief’s immediate resignation. The Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen cancelled a meeting he was due to hold with the Mr Guterres yesterday afternoon.
This morning, the Israeli mission said Israel had denied a visa for the UN’s humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, and that other UN personnel would be denied visas in protest over the Secretary General’s comments.
The Israeli mission also said it would be reassessing its relationship with UN staff on the ground in Gaza.
As the row appeared to escalate, Mr Guterres gave a short statement to reporters.
"I have condemned unequivocally the horrifying and unprecedented 7 October acts of terror by Hamas in Israel," he said.
He said he spoke of the grievances of the Palestinian people but that he had clearly stated that "the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas."
"I believe it’s necessary to set the record straight," Mr Guterres concluded, "especially out of respect for the victims and their families."
In response, the Israeli Mission to the United Nations has issued a statement rejecting Mr Guterres' comments in which he said he had been "misinterpreted".
Mr Erdan also reiterated his call for Mr Guterres to resign.
"It’s a disgrace to the UN that the Secretary General does not retract his words and is not even able to apologise for what he said yesterday," Ambassador Erdan said in a statement.
He said that the Secretary General "distorts and twists" reality.
"He clearly said yesterday that the massacre by Hamas 'did not happen in a vacuum,’" the Israeli envoy said.
"Every person understands very well that the meaning of his words is that Israel has guilt for the actions of Hamas, or, at the very least, it shows his understanding for the ‘background’ leading up to the massacre," he said.
Calling again for the UN chief’s resignation, Ambassador Erdan, said that Israel "would not accept the continued bias and hatred towards Israel by this organisation."
