Israel President Herzog condemns UN chief remarks, says root cause of conflict is 'terror'

Tel Aviv [Israel], October 26 : Condemning the recent remarks of United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres where he said Hamas's murderous October 7 onslaught "didn't occur in a vacuum", Israel President Isaac Herzog has said that he "absolutely rejects" his words and added that the problem with the conflict is terror.
Herzog's remarks came after at the Security Council meeting on Tuesday, Guterres stated that decades of Israeli military rule in the West Bank and Gaza, together with other factors, were the cause of Hamas's deadly October 7 offensive.
According to The Times of Israel, the President's Residence released the transcript of remarks Herzog made yesterday in an interview with French television channel BFMTV.
"I heard the comments of the secretary-general of the United Nations Guterres," he said adding "In a way, he alluded as if the source of all this evil has to do with the [Israeli-Palestinian] conflict."
"I absolutely reject his words, because there was a sort of implication or even consent for atrocities, for terror. The problem with the conflict is terror. The most inherent problem that derails the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians has to do with terror," Herzog had said.
During the interview, Herzog added that Israel follows international humanitarian law, which includes telling residents to evacuate northern Gaza. He also accused Hamas for keeping people from leaving the war-torn region, according to The Times of Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Tuesday had asked Gaza residents to share verified, valuable information about hostages being held in their area.
"If your will is to live in peace and to have a better future for your children, do the humanitarian deed immediately and share verified and valuable information about hostages being held in your area," the IDF asked Gaza residents.
"The Israeli military assures you that it will invest maximum effort in providing security for you and your home, and you will receive a financial reward. We guarantee you complete confidentiality," the IDF wrote on 'X'.
"The contact details are: Secure phone call: *8619; Whatsapp, Telegram, Signal:+972503957992," the IDF said.
The IDF on Saturday also said that "Civilians and hospitals in Gaza need fuel to produce electricity. Hamas has that fuel."
An IDF spokesman wrote: "Hamas continues to make its claims of its inability to supply hospitals, bakeries, and civilians with fuel. They steal diesel from civilians and transfer it to their tunnels, bombers, and commanders."
Meanwhile, one of the two hostages recently freed by Hamas, Yocheved Lifshitz, has said she "went through hell" after being kidnapped by the terrorist group in the October 7 attack on Israel, CNN reported.
The 85-year-old on Tuesday remembered the moment she was abducted by gunmen on motorbikes after militants broke into her home in the Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Lifshitz said: "It was difficult but we will get through this." She made the remarks at the Tel Aviv hospital where she has been recovering since being freed.
Hamas released Lifshitz and her neighbour and friend Nurit Cooper, 79, on Monday, and later they were reunited with family members who rushed to their bedside at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.
The release of the two women brings the total number of captives freed to four, but more than 200 hostages are believed to be trapped in Gaza, some within the labyrinth of Hamas tunnels dug beneath the coastal strip.