The Israeli army is struggling to portray its operations in Gaza as deliberate. Hamas says another hospital was targeted. Western criticism is increasing.
The image is in black and white and taken from an aerial view. A turquoise crosshair points to a building, probably somewhere in the Gaza Strip. “It should be noted that there are people of different ages here,” says a voice. “We may have to get to the next destination.” A dialogue ensues: another voice explains that the building is an important destination. The first insists that there are too many people around to go on strike. The air attack is stopped.
It is one of the videos with which the Israeli army wants to show the world that its soldiers are acting cautiously in the fight for the densely populated Gaza Strip. In others, crowds can be seen streaming through a constructed escape corridor. According to the Israeli army, there has been a four-hour ceasefire for aid deliveries in certain regions of Gaza for two days. But the Israeli military’s attempts to present its actions in a better light are not succeeding everywhere.
“Disproportionate attacks”
On Thursday, Austrian-born UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk accused both Palestinian Hamas and the Israelis of committing war crimes. On Friday, he paid a visit to the Jordanian capital, Amman. “We have serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that violate international humanitarian law,” he said of the Israeli operation. He also warned against the transfer of Palestinian civilians to safe zones. “Nowhere in Gaza is safe,” Türk said.