Israel’s former foreign minister told Sky News the country has “no other alternative” to defeat Hamas other than the tactics it is using.

Tzipi Livini said he “supports Israel’s right to defend itself” and that Hamas must be “eliminated.”

“If Gaza wants to be free, it must stop violent terrorism. What they are doing is pure evil, we are protecting our citizens,” she added.

“I support the idea that as long as Hamas controls Gaza, there is no hope for peace. I tried everything. We have no other alternative, what should we do? Let’s send them flowers,” she said.

Also on Tuesday, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, asked António Guterres to resign from his post.

The move came after the UN secretary-general called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, accusing both sides of killing and injuring civilians in violation of international humanitarian law.

Guterres said the grievances of the Palestinian people could not justify the “horrific and unprecedented acts of terrorism on October 7” by Hamas in Israel and called for the immediate release of all hostages.

But he also emphasized that “these terrible attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”

“I am deeply concerned about the clear violations of international humanitarian law that we are seeing in Gaza. Let’s be clear: no side of the armed conflict is above international humanitarian law. (…) It is also important to recognize that the attacks by Hamas did not happen out of the blue.

The Palestinian people have been subjected to a suffocating occupation for 56 years. But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the horrific attacks of Hamas. And these terrible attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people,” Guterres said, according to Reuters.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called Guterres’ speech “shocking.”

“Mr. Secretary General, what world do you live in? Without a doubt, she is not ours,” he wrote on Twitter, calling for her to resign.