Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, on Tuesday called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to resign.
The envoy accused Guterres of "expressing an understanding" for the "terrorism and murder" of Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel.
In comments to the United Nations Security Council earlier Tuesday, Guterres called for an immediate cease-fire and decried "clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are witnessing in Gaza."
He said Palestinians had been subjected to decades of occupation, before adding: "It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum."
Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States, as well as by Germany and the EU among others.
Ambassador Erdan took the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, and said said Guterres' comments meant he was "not fit to lead the UN."
"I call on him to resign immediately," Erdan wrote. "There is no justification or point in talking to those who show compassion for the most terrible atrocities committed against the citizens of Israel and the Jewish people. There are simply no words."
The UN chief's remarks also angered Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who pointed his finger at Guterres and raised his voice to recount graphic accounts of civilians, including young children, who were murdered on October 7.
"Mr Secretary-General, in what world do you live?" Cohen said. "Definitely, this is not our world."
Cohen canceled a planned meeting with Guterres after the clash.
"I will not meet with the UN Secretary-General. After October 7th there is no room for a balanced approach. Hamas must be wiped off the face of the planet," Cohen wrote on social media.
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.