More now on the row that broke out last night, after the UN chief Antonio Guterres said the Hamas attacks on 7 October – in which more than 1,400 were killed in Israel – did not occur “in a vacuum”.
The comments drew angry comments from Israel’s foreign minister, who said there “can be no cause for such a massacre”.
Now Israel says it will refuse visas to key UN officials.
“We need to shock the UN,” Israel Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan told Israeli media.
He said the UN lead on humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths wanted to come to Israel – and had been refused.
“I, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informed them of the refusal,” said Erdan.
“He will not be able to come here to the region. Their agencies constantly need to bring in new people, certainly at a time like now. They will be refused.”
Courtesy of BBC