The war tensions in the Middle East are just as volatile as those in Ukraine. The killing of an Egyptian soldier in a clash with Israeli troops at a Gaza border crossing on Monday further inflamed these regional tensions. That exchange came after an Israeli strike killed an estimated 45 Palestinians at a camp for displaced people.
According to a report by Yahoo News, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the airstrike Sunday at a tent camp northwest of the Gazan city of Rafah a “tragic mistake” as international condemnation grew. The death toll, reported by the Hamas-run health ministry, included 12 women and eight children. “Despite our utmost efforts not to harm innocent civilians, last night there was a tragic mistake,” Netanyahu said Monday in an address to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
Israel has already claimed that its attack was based on “precise intelligence” and that it killed two “senior” officials from Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union. So were the 45 innocent deaths worth killing two terrorist leaders?
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “outraged,” by Israel’s attack. But this is the same tyrant who threatened to put boots on the ground in Ukraine, so the outrage is most definitely selective. Qatar, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, added it would hinder talks to agree a cease-fire and get hostages released.
That is not the only thing that’s been hindering a peace agreement.
Israel Invades Rafah Just Hours After Hamas Accepted A Ceasefire Agreement
“The world is increasingly unwilling to accept the Israeli premise that anything goes and that it will try and annihilate Hamas no matter the humanitarian fallout and the consequences for Palestinian civilians,” Hasan Alhasan, senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said to Bloomberg Television on Tuesday.
Israel Doubles Down On Its Goal To Eliminate Hamas
Egypt’s military has also confirmed that one of its guards died at the Rafah border crossing Monday. The Israel Defense Forces said that “a shooting incident occurred on the Egyptian border” and discussions with Egypt were ongoing. It didn’t give more details.
The U.S. and other ruling classes have voiced concerns about the Israeli attack on Rafah worsening ties with Egypt. The two Middle Eastern countries signed a peace deal in 1979, which is seen as crucial to Israel’s security. Egypt was the first Arab state to recognize Israel. However, with the death of the Egyptian guard, and fighting, will that deal stay in tact?
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