On May 14, Israeli fighter jets bombed the 15-story building in Gaza that housed the Al Jazeera and Associated Press offices, four days into a recent escalation. The IDF accused Gaza-based Hamas of using the building for military intelligence purposes. It gave the staff an hour to evacuate.
Chief of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Kohavi says he does not regret striking the building housing international media in Gaza, other than possibly undermining Israel’s global image, Channel 12 reported on Saturday.
Kohavi reportedly said, “It justifiably came down. I haven’t a gram of regret.”
“Such baseless claims jeopardize the safety of AP journalists”, the statement says, adding, “as we have said repeatedly, we had no indication of a Hamas presence in the building, nor were we warned of any such possible presence before the airstrike. We do not know what the Israeli evidence shows, and we want to know.”
The bombing sparked a negative reaction from international organizations and a number of countries. According to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, the Secretary-General was “extremely disturbed to see the destruction of the media building”.
Evidence supporting Hamas’ presence in Jala Tower has not been shared with the public by Israel. The United States said it received information backing up the claim of its ally in the Middle East, but Washington has avoided sharing its view on the matter.
According to the TOI, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the strike a “perfectly legitimate target.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a joint statement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister’s office, Tuesday, May 25, 2021, in Jerusalem, Israel.
Hamas and Israel agreed to an Egypt-mediated ceasefire on May 20, following 11 days of violence that left deaths on both sides. The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes has reached 254, including 64 children, about 1,948 were injured. In Israel, 13 people were killed and at least 50 were seriously wounded.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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