The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahustated this Monday that the death of civilians last night in an Israeli attack on a displaced persons camp in Rafah, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, is a “tragic mishap.”
(Also: An exchange of border fire between Egyptian and Israeli forces is recorded: what is known?)
“We are investigating the case, that is our policy. For us, every harm to uninvolved civilians is a tragedy,” Netanyahu said in a hearing in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) with families of hostages about the war in the Strip, which totals more than 36,000 dead, more than 70% civilians.
We are investigating the case, that is our policy. For us, every harm to uninvolved civilians is a tragedy.
The Army indicated that it was a “precise operation based on intelligence” aimed at eliminating two senior Hamas commanders who were in a building in the area; although they admit that a fire later broke out that caused a high number of fatalities.
(You can read: The deaths in Gaza exceed 36,000, with 66 in the last day after Israel’s massacre in a refugee camp in Rafah)
The Military Prosecutor General, Major General Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi, ordered the opening of investigations into this bombing by the Investigation and Evaluation Mechanism of the General Staff, a semi-independent entity made up of former military personnel that already investigated a month ago Israel’s attack on a humanitarian convoy of the NGO World Central Kitchen, in which seven of its employees died, six of them foreigners.
Netanyahu participated in an extraordinary session in the Knesset at the request of 40 deputies, which forces the prime minister to attend the parliamentary headquarters, where relatives of the hostages also attended today, who demand an immediate agreement to release all the hostages and fear that cases such as the attack in Rafah make negotiations difficult.
(Also: There is rejection of the latest Israeli attack in the Rafah ‘safe zone’ despite the ICJ order; they describe it as ‘very serious’)
“Since December and until now, I have received five requests from the negotiating team to extend their mandate and I approved each and every one of them,” Netanyahu told the families.
The prime minister’s office announced last week that it authorized the negotiating team to resume negotiations in Cairo and this is expected to happen tomorrow, although the Hamas leadership insists that no agreement is possible until Israel agrees to end the war. , which Netanyahu opposes.
“(Yahya) Sinwar – leader of Hamas in Gaza and mastermind of the October 7 attacks – is the only obstacle,” said the prime minister.
“Hold those responsible for any wrongdoing accountable and take immediate action to better protect civilians,” Wennesland added in a statement.
(Also: Hamas launches rockets into central Israel, including Tel Aviv, for the first time in months)
Wennesland, who began by condemning the attack, also stressed that, “although the Israeli Army claims to have hit a Hamas facility,” it is “deeply saddened” by the death of “so many women and children” in an “area where people have sought refuge”.
The statement also urged the Israeli government and Hamas to refrain from an escalation that “jeopardizes the already fragile situation on the ground and in the region in general.”
“I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages to put an end to the suffering of civilians,” concluded the UN representative.
#tragic #mishap #Israeli #Prime #Minister #Benjamin #Netanyahu #bombing #displaced #persons #camp #Rafah