Berlin, 25 October 2023 (dpa/MIA) - A day after UN chief António Guterres made comments that incensed Israel and led to calls for his resignation, the German government spoke out in support of the leader.

German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said: "The UN Secretary General naturally has the confidence of the German government," responding to a question during a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, tensions flared after Guterres criticized Israel's relentless bombardment and siege of the Gaza Strip in the wake of the Hamas terror attack on October 7. He called them "clear violations of international humanitarian law" and "collective punishment" of Palestinians.

While condemning the Hamas terror attacks on Israel, he added they had not taken place "in a vacuum" and that Palestinians have lived for decades under "suffocating occupation."

Israel's ambassador to the UN said Guterres was justifying terrorism and called for him to step down.

"At the moment, the situation is very, very charged, tense, that moves us all. And I don't have the feeling that such demands for resignation are appropriate at the moment," Hebestreit said.

Photo: MIA archive