Israel faces wave of condemnation over deadly attacks on safe zone in South Gaza

RAMALLAH - Regional countries, including Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Iran, on Tuesday strongly condemned the deadly Israeli attacks on a crowded tent camp housing displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis of southern Gaza.

The continuation of the war against the Palestinian people and the US support have put the region at risk, Palestinian Presidency spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a press statement carried by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

The strikes on the designated safe zone on Tuesday killed at least 40 people and injured more than 60 others, according to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office. At the same time, local health authorities reported the arrival of 19 bodies at hospitals, saying more victims are likely being trapped under the rubble.

"If it were not for the unprecedented US support politically, militarily, and financially, the leaders of Israel would not have dared to commit such crimes, defying all resolutions of international legitimacy and international law by killing children, women and the elderly without accountability," said Rudeineh.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry warned in a press statement that the continued impunity of Israel and its leaders and the provision of protection for them gives them more time to commit the most heinous crimes of killing and displacing Palestinians.

In a statement, Jordan's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Israel's "systematic and continuous" targeting of civilians and shelters for displaced persons in Gaza.

Ministry spokesperson Sufian Qudah reaffirmed the kingdom's absolute rejection and denunciation of Israel's continued violations of international law and international humanitarian law, accusing Israel of committing "war crimes and genocide" against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

He emphasized that the absence of a firm international stance to curb Israeli aggression and compel it to respect international law has led to unprecedented killing, destruction, and humanitarian disaster.

Echoing a similar sentiment, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that the absence of effective international action to put an end to the human suffering in Gaza has become a real challenge to the credibility of all humanitarian standards and values.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani also called on international organizations, especially the UN Security Council, to take immediate and effective actions to deter Israel and curb its "unbridled crimes".

The overnight airstrike took place in the Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, where a sprawl of tent camps has been erected along the Gaza coast to serve as a humanitarian zone for displaced persons. The Israeli military said the strike targeted senior Hamas leaders operating from a hidden command center in the area.

Israel has launched a large-scale retaliatory offensive against Hamas in Gaza following a surprise attack by Hamas across the southern Israeli border on Oct 7, 2023, during which Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. The Israeli offensive has so far killed 41,020 Palestinians and injured 94,925 others in the coastal enclave, according to Gaza-based health authorities.