The comments come after Israeli forces bombed a so-called “safe zone” in southern Gaza, killing dozens of displaced Palestinians who were engulfed in flames.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on Monday that his military’s gruesome attack that killed dozens of displaced Palestinians in Rafah was a “tragic mistake,” as his government faces international condemnation for the strikes that engulfed the tent camp in flames.
On Sunday night, Israeli forces began bombing a tent camp in the southern Gaza city’s Tal al-Sultan neighborhood, which was designated as a “safe zone” for displaced Palestinians to shelter. Local health officials said the strikes have killed at least 45 people, and that the number is expected to rise as people continue to dig through the rubble.
“Despite our utmost efforts not to harm innocent civilians, last night, there was a tragic mistake,” Netanyahu told Israel’s parliament. “We are investigating the incident and will obtain a conclusion because this is our policy.”
Footage of the massacre spread quickly on social media, showing extremely graphic scenes of people burned alive and children’s bodies, including babies, torn up as screaming civilians try to escape while surrounded by flames.
“We pulled out people who were in an unbearable state,” Gaza civilian Mohammed Abuassa told The Associated Press. “We pulled out children who were in pieces. We pulled out young and elderly people. The fire in the camp was unreal.”
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, most of the dead and wounded were women and children, bringing the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s military offensive to more than 36,000.
At the time, Israeli officials said authorities were looking into the strikes and that the military regrets the loss of civilian life. According to the AP, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the Israeli military’s top legal official, said that such incidents happen “in a war of such scope and intensity” — echoing Netanyahu’s comments from earlier in the war when he said Palestinian deaths were merely collateral damage.
“We will never forget the images emerging from Rafah tonight,” pro-Palestinian group Jewish Voice for Peace said in a statement. “Human beings, including babies, were burned alive and torn apart. This genocide must end, it must end now.”
Netanyahu faced swift condemnation from the international community for the attack, with human rights groups, aid organizations and Western leaders calling for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The Biden administration appears to have not yet commented on the Rafah attack.
“Outraged by the Israeli strikes that have killed many displaced persons in Rafah,” French President Emmanuel Macron, one of Israel’s top allies, posted on social media. “These operations must stop. There are no safe areas in Rafah for Palestinian civilians. I call for a full respect for international law and an immediate ceasefire.”
The massacre occurred just two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to pull its military out of Rafah. Israel stands accused before the ICJ of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, and the International Criminal Court recently announced that it is seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders.
Credit: Source link