Top UN official: ‘Hamas is not a terrorist group’
Martin Griffiths also claimed that Gaza is the 'worst humanitarian crisis' he's seen in his 50-year career, despite him witnessing both the war in Syria and Yemen.
Israel condemned a top UN official on Thursday following his claim that Hamas isn’t a terrorist organisation.
“Hamas is not a terrorist group. For us, of course, as you know, it’s a political movement,” UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told Sky News.
Hamas is labeled a terror organisation by EU and a number of Western countries.
Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz quickly condemned Griffiths, saying: “Shame on him.. The United Nations reaches a new low every day. We will eliminate Hamas with or without them. Jewish blood is not cheap.”
Griffiths also claimed that Gaza is the ‘worst humanitarian crisis’ he’s seen in his 50-year career, despite him witnessing both the Syrian civil war, in which hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed and 14 million have been displaced.
The @UNReliefChief denies that the Nazi organization Hamas is a terrorist organization and calls it a "political movement". Shame on him. pic.twitter.com/piK1paMiRK
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) February 15, 2024
Griffith also served as United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen where more than 150,000 people have been killed in the war between Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels, including nearly 15,000 civilians.
UN concluded in March 2023 that Yemen remains the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis” with an estimated 4.5 million people—14 percent of the population—displaced, most of whom have been displaced multiple times over a number of years.
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