"That's life". Benjamin Netanyahu not only downplays the deaths of civilians in Gaza, but also that of Israelis themselves. At Saturday's press conference, the Israeli prime minister said something that has offended many of his fellow citizens, and especially the family of Yuval Doron Kestelman. During Thursday's attack in which two Palestinian brothers shot and killed three people and wounded six others at a bus stop in Jerusalem, Kestelman, a citizen who with his legalized weapon - thousands of Israelis - also died they carry rifles and pistols on the street – he was the first to shoot the terrorists. But then a soldier who also responded to the attack shot him when he mistook him for one of the attackers, despite Kestelman kneeling and raising his hands. The dead man's father described the death as an "execution".
"We know that in the waves of terrorism of the last decade, the presence of armed citizens saved the situation," Netanyahu said. "We may pay a price for this, such is life", he added. After the controversy, the premier called Kestelman's father yesterday and told him that an investigation would be opened.
At the press conference, he indicated that the offensive in Gaza would be further intensified, taking into account that, since the beginning of the war, the Israeli air force has already launched about 10,000 airstrikes on the strip. Yesterday was no exception and continued to drop bombs, which have already killed 15,523 and wounded 41,316, according to the Gazan health authorities.
The images of injured children in Gaza hospitals go around the world and do not leave Israel's main ally, the United States, indifferent. In the face of Washington's criticism, which intensified yesterday, Netanyahu's reaction was to order a wider evacuation of Palestinians from the Khan Iunis area with the intention of moving them to safe areas, as the United States claims.
On the other hand, the spokesman of the National Security Council of the White House, John Kirby, yesterday denied an information published last week by The New York Times which assured that the US knew of the terrorist attack plans of Hamas, carried out on October 7, after having access to a confidential document.
Another correction that Netanyahu had to make yesterday was to acknowledge that Israel is still negotiating with Hamas on the release of the nearly 132 hostages it still holds, despite the fact that on Saturday, after the end of the truce, he ordered the Mossad to leave Qatar, where contacts are made. Israel continues to "talk to the enemy about the continued release of hostages, we talk in the middle of the fire," Netanyahu said. A statement that was made after the relatives of the abductees raised their voice and demanded a meeting with the War Cabinet so that the Government does not lower its arms and obtain more releases.
In this regard, the Government of Qatar, which until now had contained criticism of Israel while the Mossad, the CIA and the Egyptian secret services negotiated in Doha with Hamas, also raised its tone. Qatari Prime Minister Muhammad bin Abderrahman al-Thani called for an "immediate, thorough and impartial international investigation" into Israel's crimes in Gaza.
As troops capture positions in the strip, the Israeli military issues statements along with images about alleged findings that would confirm that Hamas is using "schools, daycare centers, mosques and playgrounds" for military purposes. In this sense, the armed forces assured yesterday that since the beginning of the invasion they have already found "more than 800 mouths of underground Hamas tunnels", of which around 500 were destroyed. "The mouths of the tunnels were located in civilian areas", insisted the statement.
Meanwhile, the tension does not ease in the West Bank - with Israeli incursions and Palestinian deaths every day - or on the border with Lebanon, where Hizbullah yesterday launched a missile against a tank that wounded a dozen soldiers and Israel responded with artillery fire.
With this panorama, after finishing a four-day visit to Israel and the West Bank, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, warned the Israeli Government and Hamas that they "must comply with international humanitarian law" and that , "if they don't, don't complain when my office has to act." Khan also said he would "further intensify efforts to advance his investigations" of possible war crimes committed by both Hamas and Israel.
