The United Nations and Middle Eastern countries have condemned Israel for attacking a humanitarian safe zone in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 90 Palestinians and wounding 300.
Israel said the target of Saturday’s attack in al-Mawasi was Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was not sure whether the militant was killed. Hamas denied the allegations, calling them “falsehood,” and said “defenceless civilians” were killed in the attack.
Photos and video seen by Al Jazeera’s Sanad news agency showed Palestinians digging through rubble and what appeared to be the remains of tents at the scene of the attack.
World leaders responded:
Jordan
“Dozens of Palestinians were killed and injured in attacks on displaced people’s tents in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, a region previously classified by Israel as safe,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Spokesman Sufian Al-Qudah said Jordan called on the international community to act to put an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people, as Israel repeatedly violates international law.
Egypt
In a statement, Egypt’s foreign ministry said Israel’s “continued violations of the rights of the Palestinian people” posed serious “complications” to reaching a ceasefire agreement.
Egypt is one of the countries trying to broker such an agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“We strongly condemn the Israeli attack on Al-Mawasi area,” the foreign ministry said.
Qatar
Doha, which is also acting as a mediator in ceasefire talks, on Saturday called the “shocking and brutal massacre” in al-Mawasi “a new chapter in the series of crimes being committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.”
The report warned that the attack further undermines efforts for lasting peace, “expanding the cycle of violence in the region and threatening international peace and security.”
turkey
Turkey’s foreign ministry called the attack “part of the Netanyahu regime’s efforts to completely annihilate the Palestinian people.”
“Despite expectations that Israel would respond to Hamas’ positive response to the ceasefire, the fact that Israel has once again chosen to shed blood is [proposal] “This is evidence of the Netanyahu government’s efforts to block negotiations for a permanent ceasefire,” the State Department said.
He called on countries that support Israel to end its “barbarism.”
Iran
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani called the attack on al-Mawasi “the latest in a series of crimes committed by the Zionist regime which is murdering children.”
“The Zionists have once again cruelly demonstrated that they do not recognize the humanitarian and moral red line against the defenseless inhabitants of the Gaza Strip in order to make up for their battlefield defeats against the resistance, but they should know that persisting on this path will only lead to broader global hatred,” Kanani said in a post on X.
Palestinian Authority
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the Palestinian Authority (PA) presidency, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said the attack was “a continuation of a genocidal war against our people and the US administration is responsible for the continuation of this genocide.”
In a statement carried by Wafa news agency, Abu Rudeineh added: “Without the blind and biased support of the United States, this occupying force would not have been able to continue its bloody crimes against our people, nor would it have been able to ignore international law and international court rulings that called on it to stop attacks on our people and protect them.”
united nations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said He said he was “shocked and saddened” by the Israeli air raids that killed at least 90 Palestinians.
” [Israeli military] “They said they were targeting two senior Hamas officials,” Guterres said in a statement. “The Secretary-General stresses that international humanitarian law must be respected at all times, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions in attacks.”
Hezbollah
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah condemned the Israeli attack and said the Lebanese group’s attacks on Israeli targets were fulfilling an “obligation” to help the Palestinians, not a “favor.”
“Today, the occupying forces carried out a massive massacre against displaced people in Al-Mawashi, Khan Yunis, and to justify it, [Hamas] “My fellow leaders,” he said, “is there greater injustice and oppression in the world?”
Saudi Arabia
The Foreign Ministry called for “the revitalization of international accountability mechanisms” for Israeli human rights violations.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns the continuing massacres of Palestinians by Israeli military forces, the latest of which is [of] “The incident occurred in a camp for displaced persons in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip,” the statement said.
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
The OIC said it strongly condemned Israel’s “heinous massacres” in Al Mawashi and Shati refugee camps.
The group said it considered the attack to be “an extension of the genocidal crimes that Israeli occupation forces continue to commit against Palestinian civilians in blatant defiance of UN resolutions and the orders of the International Court of Justice.”
United Arab Emirates
The UAE condemned Israeli abuses in Gaza, including “the most recent targeted attacks on the Khan Yunis camp for displaced persons in southern Gaza, resulting in the deaths and injury of many innocent civilians.”
The foreign ministry also “reiterated the importance of protecting civilians and civilian institutions in accordance with international law, including international treaties, and reaffirmed the need for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of life.”
Oman
Oman said the Israeli attack was “a clear act of terrorism and further evidence of a deliberate policy of extermination against the Palestinian people.”
In a statement, the country’s foreign minister said attacks targeting “unarmed civilians” were a clear violation of international law.
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Francesca Albanese told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Israel had likely violated international law by attacking a designated humanitarian area.
“I am disgusted by Israel’s impunity that is enabling a genocidal war,” Albanese said.
In March, Albanese released a report outlining “reasonable grounds” to believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
America
U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has yet to respond to Saturday’s attack, but Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the House Progressive Caucus, said “we must do more to stop this.”
“Israel continues its horrific attacks on Gaza, forcing the closure of medical facilities and restricting the entry of medical equipment,” Jayapal wrote in an article for X.
She called for “an immediate and permanent ceasefire to release the hostages and save lives.”
Columbia
President Gustavo Petro condemned it, calling it “the greatest injustice.”
“I am even more outraged because their destruction of international human rights law is a harbinger of the barbarism they are about to unleash on all oppressed peoples on the planet,” he said in the X post.