The Israeli Prime Minister Rejoinds Israel on the Violence of the Night of September 11, 2009: A Tragic Fire which Hamas Hides
The Israeli Prime Minister said in a speech to the Israeli Parliament that Israel tried to minimize civilian deaths by asking people in Gaza to leave, but that last night a tragic accident occurred as a result. He accused Hamas of hiding among the general population, saying, “For us, every uninvolved civilian who is hurt is a tragedy. It is a strategy for Hamas. The difference is the whole thing.
The airstrike was under review, said Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi on Monday. She said the military police had opened around 70 criminal investigations into potential misconduct during the war.
He said that the tents were tightly packed. “And a fire like this could spread over a huge distance with catastrophic consequences in a very, very short space of time.”
The Israeli military strike on Sunday night in Rafah, Gaza: Dr. James Smith’s testimony to Israel and the international court of justice
Before this month, Rafah had been the last refuge for Palestinians during the war, with so much of Gaza being devastated. Almost 1.3 million Palestininans were sheltering in Rafah at one time but the U.N. says more than 800,000 have fled since the Israeli military expanded its ground operations there. There are still lots of people in areas that aren’t under an order to leave.
The trauma center’s video footage of injuries from the strike and fire were some of the worst that he has seen, Dr. Smith said from a distance that had become too dangerous to cross.
The injured were taken to a trauma stabilization center in Tal al-Sultan and then referred to field hospitals for further treatment, as stated by Dr. James Smith, an emergency doctor who is working just outside Rafah. The Israeli military ordered hospitals in Rafah and nearby cities to be shut down in the past months.
Doctors Without Borders said more than 15 dead people and dozens of wounded in the Rafah strike were brought to a trauma stabilization center that it supports in Tal as Sultan.
Mr al-Sapti said he saw charred bodies and people screaming at the firefighters to put out the fire at the scene of the strike. He said that the camp was 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217 800-273-3217. “There was darkness and no electricity.”
In the aftermath of the strike, the tent where he and his family were staying was torn up but he and his family were not injured.
His comments came at a most delicate time as the diplomats were about to restart the talks for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, just three days after the International Court of Justice appeared to order Israel to immediately halt its offensive in the city.
Two Israeli officials said that the strike took place outside the designated humanitarian zone that was supposed to offer safe refuge to residents being told to evacuate to get out of harm’s way. The military showed the location of the strike in relation to the designated humanitarian area on a map.
Israel said the strike on Sunday night killed two Hamas officials, but the civilian deaths generated instant condemnation, likely making it harder for Israel to defend its view that the ambiguity of the court order allowed it to continue its campaign in Rafah.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, according to health officials there. More than 200 people were taken hostage in an attack by Hamas, which left 1200 people dead in Israel. About 120 hostages remain in Gaza.
The tragedy of the Israeli offensive in Rafah last week: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has no sign of curbing the offensive
“At around 6:30 p.m. yesterday, I heard a huge noise. He toldNPR that he heard an explosion and it sounded like an earthquake. “I couldn’t get out of the door so I jumped out of the window and saw injured children… one without a head.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under increasing domestic pressure to negotiate a ceasefire deal to bring the remaining hostages home. Israel has been rocked by weekly protests by families of hostages and others calling for the resignation of Netanyahu. He is in danger of being overthrown by hard liners in his government who do not want a complete ceasefire.
Israeli media is reporting that the negotiations are expected to resume next week. There were some high level discussions in Paris this weekend between the Israeli Mossad’s David Barnea, the U.S. CIA’s William J. Burns and the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahma al-Thani.
With international condemnation mounting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Monday that the killing of dozens of people in a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah was “a tragic accident,” but gave no sign of curbing the Israeli offensive there.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said on Monday that an initial investigation by the military had concluded that the strike, or shrapnel from it, may have unexpectedly ignited a flammable substance at the site. The witnesses described fires in the aftermath of the strike.
Military drone footage of the attack, reviewed by The New York Times, showed the munition striking an area housing several large cabinlike structures and parked cars.
Still, he gave no indication that the Israeli military’s operation in Rafah would be interrupted. He did not directly address a question from a reporter about whether tanks had moved into Rafah’s center, saying that Hamas battalions remained in the city and that Israeli forces were operating in a “targeted” way.
Israeli jets had fired the “smallest munitions” that they could use, he said, insisting that “our munitions alone could not have ignited a fire of this size.” They could not be independently verified.
The Israeli military’s spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told a news conference that an investigation was examining “all possibilities” to determine what had caused the fire
Two small warheads were used in the strike, which was intended for a specific target. We are talking about 17 kilos of explosives. This is the smallest munition that our jets can use. Following this strike, a large fire ignited for reasons that are still being investigated. Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size. I want to reiterate it: Our munition alone couldn’t have started this fire. The investigation aims to find out what caused the fire to start. We are operating in Rafah in a very targeted and precise way. We need to make sure we do everything in our power to bring our hostages home.
In a statement on Tuesday, the British foreign secretary, DavidCameron, pointed to the gruesome scenes of death and destruction caused by the fire at the camp, calling for an investigation.
Israel’s ground assault in the Rafah region remained constant despite the airstrike on a camp for displaced Palestinians
Those statements, however, did little to quell a chorus of voices demanding accountability and a halt to the fighting, which came amid reports of another deadly strike in nearby Al-Mawasi on Tuesday.
Israel’s military said its troops were pressing on with their ground assault in the Rafah area on Tuesday, even as international outrage over its operation there intensified in the wake of a deadly airstrike on a camp for displaced Palestinians.