The United Nations and Middle Eastern countries have denounced Israel after its army attacked a protected humanitarian zone in Gaza, killing at least 90 Palestinians and wounding 300 others.
Israel said the target of Saturday’s attack in al-Mawasi was Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was not certain the fighter was killed. Hamas dismissed the attack as “false,” saying “defenseless civilians” were killed in the attack.
Photos and videos verified by Tel Aviv Tribune’s Sanad news agency showed Palestinians searching through debris and what appeared to be the remains of tents at the scene of the attacks.
Here’s how countries reacted:
Jordan
The Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on “tents of displaced people in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, in an area that Israel had previously classified as safe, which resulted in the death and injury of dozens of Palestinians.”
Spokesman Sufyan al-Qudah said Jordan called on the international community to act to end the suffering of the Palestinians amid Israel’s repeated violations of international law.
Egypt
In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Israel’s “continued violations of the rights of Palestinian citizens” add serious “complications” to reaching a ceasefire agreement.
Egypt is among the countries working to mediate such an agreement between Israel and Hamas.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the Israeli raids on the al-Mawasi area,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Qatar
Doha has also played a role in mediating ceasefire negotiations. On Saturday, it called the “shocking and brutal massacre” in al-Mawasi “a new chapter in the series of crimes” committed by Israel against the Palestinians.
The organization warned that the attack could further undermine efforts toward lasting peace, “widening the cycle of violence in the region and threatening international peace and security.”
Türkiye
The Turkish Foreign Ministry called the attack “a phase of the Netanyahu government’s efforts to completely annihilate the Palestinians.”
“The fact that Israel has once again opted for bloodshed when it was supposed to respond to Hamas’ positive response to the ceasefire proposal is proof that the Netanyahu government is trying to prevent negotiations for a permanent ceasefire,” the ministry said.
She called on countries that support Israel to end the “barbarism.”
Iran
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani called the attack on al-Mawasi “the latest crime in a series of crimes committed by the child-killing Zionist regime.”
“The Zionists have once again brutally shown that in order to compensate for the defeats suffered on the battlefield with the resistance, they do not recognize any human and moral red lines towards the defenseless residents of the Gaza Strip, but they must know that insisting on this path is nothing but broader global hatred,” Kanaani said in a message on X.
Palestinian Authority
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said the attack was a “continuation of the genocidal war against our people, and the US administration bears responsibility for the continued massacres.”
In a statement carried by the Wafa news agency, Abu Rudeineh added: “Without the blind and biased support of the Americans, this occupation would not have been able to continue its bloody crimes against our people, and to defy international laws and the decisions of international courts that demanded an end to the assault and the protection of our people.”
The United Nations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked and saddened” by Israeli airstrikes that killed at least 90 Palestinians.
“The Israeli military said it targeted two senior Hamas officials,” Mr. Guterres said in a statement. “The Secretary-General stresses that international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution in attacks, must be respected at all times.”
Hezbollah
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah denounced the Israeli attack and said the Lebanese group’s attacks on Israeli targets fulfill a “duty” to support the Palestinians and do not constitute a “favor.”
“Today, the occupation carried out a large-scale massacre against displaced people in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis. It then justified its act by saying that it wanted to target the (Hamas) leadership,” he said. “Are there worse injustices and oppressions in the world?”
Saudi Arabia
The Foreign Ministry called for “activating international accountability mechanisms” against Israeli abuses.
“The Foreign Ministry condemns in the strongest terms the continuing genocidal massacres against the Palestinian people at the hands of the Israeli war machine, the latest being the targeting of displaced persons camps in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip,” it said in a statement.
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
The OIC said it strongly condemned the “heinous massacres” carried out by Israel in al-Mawasi as well as in the Shati refugee camp.
The organization said it considered the attacks an “extension of the crime of genocide that the Israeli occupation continues to commit against Palestinian civilians, in flagrant disregard” of UN resolutions and orders of the International Court of Justice.
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates has denounced Israeli abuses in Gaza, including “the most recent targeting of displaced persons camps in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of innocent civilians.”
The country’s foreign ministry also “reaffirmed the need for an immediate ceasefire to avoid further loss of life, reiterating the importance of protecting civilians and civilian institutions, in accordance with international law, including international treaties.”
Oman
Oman said the Israeli attack was “an explicit act of terrorism and further evidence of the policy of deliberate extermination… against the Palestinian people.”
The country’s foreign minister said in a statement that the raids, which targeted “unarmed civilians,” were a flagrant violation of international law.
Colombia
President Gustavo Petro denounced what he called “the greatest injustice.”
“I am all the more outraged that this destruction of international human law is a prelude to the barbarity that they want to unleash on all the oppressed peoples of the earth,” he said in a message on X.
Malaysia
The Malaysian Foreign Ministry has “strongly condemned” Israel’s “continued attacks” on Palestinians, including yesterday’s attack on the al-Mawasi camp.
“This heinous and appalling attack, which took place in an area that Israel itself has designated as a safe zone for Palestinians, is a blatant disregard for all human life,” the ministry said in a statement shared on X.
United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Speaking to Tel Aviv Tribune on Saturday, Francesca Albanese said Israel had likely violated international law by striking in a designated humanitarian zone.
“I am disgusted by Israel’s tolerance of impunity that allows genocidal war,” Albanese said.
In March, Albanese released a report listing “reasonable grounds” to believe that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
UNITED STATES
While the administration of US President Joe Biden has yet to respond to Saturday’s attack, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said: “We have to do more to stop this.”
In an article published on X, Jayapal said: “Israel continues its horrific attack on Gaza, forcing the closure of medical facilities and even restricting the entry of medical supplies.”
She called for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire to free the hostages and save lives.”