United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has condemned Israel for what he said are "clear violations of international humanitarian law" in its bombardment of Gaza.

While he also condemned the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7, he said the "appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people".

"Protecting civilians can never mean using them as human shields.

"Protecting civilians doesn't mean ordering more than one million people to evacuate to the South (of Gaza) where there...