JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has apologized for an incident in Gaza on Monday that killed five journalists in the shelling of Nasser Hospital
“Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians. Our war is with Hamas terrorists. Our just goals are defeating Hamas and bringing our hostages home,” Netanyahu said Monday.
Israel’s military promised an investigation.
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, Israeli military spokesman, stated, “As a professional military, committed to international law, we are obligated to investigate our operations thoroughly and professionally. The Chief of the General Staff has instructed that an inquiry be conducted immediately to understand the circumstances of what happened and how it happened.”
Defrin added that the challenges the IDF faces in fighting Hamas are many.
“Reporting from an active warzone carries immense risk, especially in a war with a terrorist organization such as Hamas, who cynically hides behind the civilian population,” Defrin remarked.
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Jonathan Spyer from the Middle East Forum told CBN News that journalists are well familiar with Hamas military tactics.
“I think we do need to place this in a certain context. And that is the role of hospitals as used by the Hamas organization inside the Gaza Strip.”
Spyer recalled how a conversation with a journalist in Gaza revealed how Hamas uses hospitals.
He was talking on WhatsApp with someone who was inside Gaza’s Al-Aqsa hospital in the summer of 2020. “The person said, ‘Yeah, I’m in this hospital. We’re surrounded by Hamas operatives. There are certain parts of the hospital that we’re not allowed to go to because they’re for the exclusive use of Hamas.’ So, that was an actual eyewitness on the ground telling me that. And I think this fits in with that picture that we know that the Hamas organization, very cynically, is making use of medical facilities.”
Meanwhile, in the Oval Office, President Trump hopes the war will be over soon.
The president noted, “I think in the next two to three weeks you’re going to have a conclusive, conclusive ending. It’s a hard thing to say because they’ve been fighting for thousands of years, if you want to know. It’s been a hotbed forever. But I think we’re doing a very good job. It does have to end, but people have to remember October 7th.”
