Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir condemned on Tuesday the military operation to rescue 70 Palestinian orphans from the Gaza Strip and facilitate their transfer to the West Bank at the request of Germany.
Israeli media reported that the German embassy in Israel requested Tel Aviv to facilitate the transfer of the orphaned children from the besieged enclave to the West Bank.
Reportedly, the orphans were accompanied by dozens of adult staff members from the SOS Children’s Village in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
It was announced that the operation was approved by the National Security Council and was carried out in coordination with the Civil Administration.
“He who is compassionate to the cruel will ultimately become cruel to the compassionate,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted on the social media platform X, quoting a rabbinic adage.
He demanded clarification from the Prime Minister “about who issued this immoral order and by what authority, while the enemy holds our hostages and their children captive.”
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir called the operation a “fake humanitarian measure.”
“This is not how a country that strives for absolute victory is run. In war, you have to crush the enemy, without being sanctimonious all the time,” Ben-Gvir said.
Following a genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa, the International Court of Justice ruled on January 26th that Israel must refrain from any actions related to the killing, attacks, and destruction of the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip and take all measures to prevent genocide.
However, the attacks continue unabated, and the delivery of aid remains insufficient to address the humanitarian catastrophe.
Since October 7th last year, Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have killed 31.184 Palestinians, with 72.889 injured.
Reaction from the German embassy
Two days ago, it was reported that several dozen Palestinian orphans were transferred from the SOS Children’s Village to an SOS facility in Bethlehem at the request of the German embassy.
The German embassy issued a statement explaining that Palestinian children and their employees and family members were temporarily evacuated to the West Bank.
“It is important to know that yesterday’s transfer of orphaned children is a temporary measure during the war, to remove children from acute danger, not an attempt at their permanent relocation,” the embassy said two days ago, N1 reports.
Photo: Archive/Anadolu Agency
E.Dz.
