A Hamas attack on a border crossing that killed Israeli troops was evidence last night that the terror group is using Palestinians as a “human shield”, dashing hopes for an end to violence in Gaza.
The escalation came as the latest round of ceasefire negotiations was “on the verge of collapse”, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outright ruling out any end to the war.
It follows US President Joe Biden reportedly putting a shipment of ammunition bound for Israel on hold amid university campus protests against his support for the country.
Ten rockets were launched yesterday from close to civilian shelters in southern Gaza towards the Kerem Shalom border crossing, killing three soldiers and wounding 11, the Israeli army said.
As a result, it was closed to aid trucks traveling from Israel, just as the head of the UN World Food Program warned of a “complete famine” in northern Gaza.
The escalation came as the latest round of ceasefire negotiations was ‘on the verge of collapse’, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outright ruling out any end to the war (file image)
The Israeli military called the attack “a clear example of the terrorist organization’s systematic exploitation of humanitarian facilities and spaces, and their continued use of the civilian population of Gaza as human shields.”
Former hardline Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said: “Yes, they are bombing their own lifeline of food and aid. This is yet another example of Hamas’s perverse strategy: killing their own people to hurt Israel.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry added: ‘Hamas is firing rockets from civilian centers at humanitarian border crossings. This tells you everything you need to know.’
But Hamas sources insisted the target was an Israeli military base and denied using civilians as human shields.
It came as talks between Hamas negotiators and Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo were in danger of collapsing. Netanyahu said Israel is ready to pause the fighting to secure the release of more than 130 hostages believed to be held by Hamas.
But Hamas insists that any ceasefire must be part of an end to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that the standoff meant that further military action against Rafah – where more than a million displaced Gazans have taken refuge – “would begin in the very near future.”