The Argentine government has condemned the Israeli bombing of a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, which killed more than fifty people on Tuesday.
The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday questioned the attack on the Jabalya camp, which the Israeli government said was a successful hit on the top leadership of Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari.
The Israeli army stormed the camp on Wednesday, reportedly eliminating Hamas terrorists and destroying a building that served as a command center. Dozens of people have been killed, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Tuesday’s death toll sparked widespread condemnation within the international community, including in Argentina, home to Latin America’s largest Jewish community.
‘The increasing violence in the Gaza Strip is causing more and more victims. The civilian population, especially women, children and the elderly, are most affected by this conflict. The increase in violence in the West Bank is also worrying,” the Argentine Foreign Ministry statement said.
A Palestinian man carries the body of a baby found under the rubble of the Jabalya refugee after Wednesday’s bombing of a camp in the Gaza Strip where dozens are said to have been killed. Argentina joined Bolivia, Chile and Colombia in condemning Israel for its continued military attacks
Israeli bombing of an area within the Gaza Strip, seen from a position in southern Israel on Tuesday. The attack killed more than fifty people, including top Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari
Argentina said it also included the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks launched by Hamas, which killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and led to the kidnapping of 240 people.
And while it has also recognized that Israel has the right to defend itself, the Foreign Ministry insists that “nothing justifies the violation of international humanitarian law, and the obligation to protect the civilian population in armed conflicts, without making any distinction .’
The Argentine government’s stance on the Middle East conflict came a day after Bolivia cut its diplomatic ties with Israel over continued attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Deputy Foreign Minister Freddy Mamani said in a press conference that Bolivia “has decided to sever diplomatic relations with the Israeli state in rejection and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip.”
Palestinians mourn their victims after Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza Strip killed more than 50 people on Tuesday
A still image from video footage shows Palestinians checking the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli attack on the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Dozens of people have been killed, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health
Colombia, Chile and Brazil joined Bolivia in calling for an immediate ceasefire. Bolivia and Chile have urged the passage of humanitarian aid to the zone, accusing Israel of violating international law.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro called Tuesday’s attack a “massacre of the Palestinian people” in a post on the social media network X, formerly known as Twitter, and expressed satisfaction that both sides were working on a peace deal.
“Even in the midst of pain and the unforgivable, the best of humanity must be born. Even in the midst of unleashed barbarism, the Israeli and Palestinian people must find the path of reconciliation,” Petro wrote. “How will the word peace emerge in the midst of so much hatred and horror? It will come from the word and not from weapons.”
Bolivia is one of the first countries to actively sever diplomatic relations with Israel over the war in Gaza. The country had previously severed ties with Israel in 2009 under the government of left-wing President Evo Morales, also in protest against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In 2020, the government of right-wing interim President Jeanine Anez restored ties.
“We reject the war crimes committed in Gaza. We support international initiatives to guarantee humanitarian assistance, in accordance with international law,” Bolivian President Arce said on social media on Monday.
An Israeli helicopter bombs an area in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday
A man sits on rubble after an Israeli military airstrike in the Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza City on Wednesday
Gaza health authorities say 8,525 people, including 3,542 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7.
United Nations officials estimate that more than 1.4 million of Gaza’s approximately 2.3 million residents have become homeless.
The Israeli military has accused Iran-backed Hamas, which rules the narrow coastal region, of using civilian buildings as cover for fighters, commanders and weapons. It denies these allegations.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday that Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalya refugee camp could amount to war crimes.
Given the high number of civilian casualties and the scale of destruction following the Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp, we are deeply concerned that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes,” the human rights office wrote on X.