Israel cannot explain away Rafah airstrike as just a ‘mistake'

The General Election is currently dominating headlines as the country gears up to head to the polls in just over a month’s time. While it will define how the country looks over the next few years, it must not distract from the events over in the Middle East.

A humanitarian crisis is unfolding in front of the world’s eyes with seemingly little appetite from the world to intervene in a meaningful way.

Whichever prism it is seen through, Israel’s airstrike on a tent encampment in Rafah is not acceptable. It is also not acceptable for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to explain it away as a “tragic mistake”. Israel has at its disposal the latest military technology. Its forces should not be making these sorts of “mistakes”.

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No one is denying Israel the right to defend itself. That includes eliminating the terror threat of Hamas. But the mass killing of civilians is truly shocking. Gazans are not Hamas and too many innocent civilians have already paid the price.

Israeli tanks move near the border with the Southern Gaza Strip on May 25. PIC Amir Levy/Getty ImagesIsraeli tanks move near the border with the Southern Gaza Strip on May 25. PIC Amir Levy/Getty Images
Israeli tanks move near the border with the Southern Gaza Strip on May 25. PIC Amir Levy/Getty Images

Western leaders need to put pressure on Netanyahu because there is no endgame in sight other than more death and destruction. In fact Rafah has been described as “hell on Earth” by the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

It appears that Israel intends to wipe out Hamas without due care for innocent civilians. Even if it is proven that people died as a result of secondary explosions following the airstrike, innocent people have still lost their lives.

Reports of an incident between Egyptian and Israeli troops on the border near Rafah should be a cause for alarm amongst world leaders.

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This also puts Israel’s security at risk. Many Arab nations will be asking themselves where Israel’s advance will stop. And there’s a very real danger that Israel could find itself increasingly isolated and the West compromised.

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