‘While Israel is refraining from harming civilians, Hamas is using them as human shields’: Israeli PM Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for Israel to cease attacks in Gaza by asserting that Hamas is responsible for civilian casualties, not Israel, as reported by The Times of Israel. Netanyahu emphasized that Israel is making every effort to avoid harming Gazan civilians, accusing Hamas of obstructing their evacuation to safe zones by using them as human shields.

Netanyahu stated, “While Israel is doing everything to refrain from harming civilians and calling on them to leave areas of fighting, Hamas-ISIS is doing everything to prevent them from leaving for safe areas and is using them as human shields.”

He further accused Hamas of holding civilians hostage and using schools, mosques, and hospitals as centers for terrorist activities. Netanyahu warned that the crimes committed by Hamas in Gaza today could extend to other nations tomorrow and urged world leaders to condemn Hamas rather than Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, attributed the rocket hitting Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza to a failed launch by terrorist organizations targeting Israel. The IDF claimed that its operations, including the 401st Brigade, had eliminated approximately 150 terrorists, gaining control over Hamas strongholds in northern Gaza, targeting arms production sites, launching stations, and an underground network.

Additionally, the Israeli Foreign Ministry revised the death toll from last month’s Hamas attacks to nearly 1,200, a change from the initial figure of 1,400, as reported by The Times of Israel. However, the ministry did not provide details on the reason behind the updated death toll.