There are clear violations of international humanitarian law being committed in Israel's war against Hamas, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday as he called for an immediate cease-fire. Gutteres' demands were met with calls for him to resign by the Middle Eastern country.

The U.N. head made the remarks during a Security Council open debate held Tuesday in New York City on the situation in the Middle East, the stability of which has been shaken since Hamas' surprise Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and Israel's retaliatory incessant bombing of the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.

More than 1,400 Israelis were killed and 220 kidnapped in the initial Hamas attack, while the number of dead Palestinians rises daily amid Israel's offensive, reaching more than 5,000 killed on Tuesday. Guterres said that while the grievances of the Palestinian people do not justify Hamas' appalling attacks, those same attacks "cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people."

"Even war has rules," he said, paramount of which is the protection of civilians.

Israel has ordered approximately 1.1 million northern Gazans to move to the southern half of the strip, a controversial directive ahead of a widely expected ground invasion.

Guterres said the protection of civilians does not include their evacuation to an area where there is no shelter, food water, medicine and fuel for them, and where Israel is still bombing.

"The relentless bombardment of Gaza by Israeli forces, the level of civilian casualties, and the wholesale destruction of neighborhoods continue to mount and are deeply alarming," he said.

"I am deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza. Let me be clear: No party to an armed conflict is above international humanitarian law."

The speech attracted fierce criticism from Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, who described the secretary-general's words as justification of terrorism and a delegitimization of the intergovernmental body he leads.

"The U.N. is failing," Erdan scathed before family members of those kidnapped during a press conference in New York. "The U.N. is failing and you, Mr. S.G., have lost all morality and impartiality because when you say those terrible words that these heinous attacks 'did not happen in a vacuum' you are tolerating terrorism and by tolerating terrorism you are justifying terrorism."

Erdan accused Guterres of committing a "pure blood libel," referring to the antisemitic false allegation that Jews murdered Christians to use their blood, and that he should apologize or resign.

"From now on, every day that he's here in this building, unless he apologies immediately — today we called him to apologize — there's no justification to the existence of this building," Erdan said.

Guterres' calls for a cease-fire add to those from other nations that participated in the Tuesday debate — a call Israel and the United States stand against.

In Washington, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby rejected the notion of a cease-fire, stating that, right now, it would only benefit Hamas though they support a pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

"All I can tell you is we're going to continue to make sure Israel has the tools and the capabilities that they need to defend themselves," Kirby told reporters during a press conference. "We're going to continue to try to get that humanitarian assistance in, and we're going to continue to try to get hostages and people out of Gaza appropriately."

French President Emmanuel Macron visits Israel, says nations linked 'through mourning'
 Washington DC (UPI) Oct 24, 2023 –

French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Tel Aviv on Tuesday in a show of support for Israel as it wages war against Hamas in Gaza.

"We are linked to Israel through mourning," Macron tweeted in Tel Aviv after meeting with families of those who were kidnapped by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

"Thirty of our compatriots were murdered on Oct. 7. Nine others are still missing or held hostage. In Tel Aviv, with their families, I expressed the solidarity of the nation."

Macron met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who thanked the French president for visiting during "these very trying times."

"Israel is bereaving, we're bereaving with major pain that we've never suffered as a nation since our establishment, and we've suffered a lot of pain throughout our history," Herzog told Macron during a joint press conference before their meeting.

"I know how much you care for our nation and your visit here is a clear expression of solidarity."

During the press conference, Herzog told Macron that Israel is dedicated to destroying Hamas infrastructure in Gaza and securing the release of all the hostages, while warning Hezbollah and its Iranian backers that they were "playing with fire" by fighting Israeli forces in the north from Lebanon.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah over the Israel-Lebanon border has increased in recent days, and Herzog said that if the militant group "drags us into war, it should be clear that Lebanon will pay the price."

Macron told Herzog he shares his view that all hostages should be released without distinction, accusing Hamas of playing with people's lives, but said Israel's military should conduct "targeted operations" against the militant group.

He also said he shares the view that the war should not spread.

"This is our duty, to fight against these terrorist groups without any confusion, without enlarging this conflict and I share the warnings you passed," Macron said.

"I want you to be sure that we stand shoulder to shoulder with you and your nation, and we'll do whatever we can to restore peace, security and stability for your country and the whole region."

Macron's visit to Tel Aviv is the latest by a world leader in the past two weeks since the war began. U.S. President Joe Biden visited last week, the first American leader to be in Israel amid war. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also visited last week.

Several U.S. politicians from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to Sens. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Bill Cassidy, R-La., have also visited.