JERUSALEM, Israel – The United Nations General Assembly is set to open Tuesday, and on its agenda this week: a vote on recognizing a Palestinian state in biblical Judea and Samaria. Meanwhile, Israel is still recovering from a Jerusalem terror attack, and dozens of high-rise buildings in Gaza City have been leveled.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the wounded from Monday’s terror attack. Six people were murdered and more than a dozen others were wounded when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a bus at a crowded bus stop.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “a difficult day” in Israel’s war on terror.
“The fact that we eliminated these two terrorists is not enough,” he stated. “The fact that we go after the supporters and aides, that is not enough either. My instruction is to go strongly against the nests of terror.”
Netanyahu added, “We have already eliminated nests of terror in refugee camps, in three. We simply evacuated the population from there and flattened all the terror infrastructure, and my instruction is to do the same in other nests of terror.”
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the attack, according to U.N. Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric, who announced, “He conveys his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a full and speedy recovery to those who were wounded.”
European leaders, who plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N., also condemned the Jerusalem shootings and called for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
European Union Spokesman Anouar El Anouni called for de-escalation and said the attack “shows how necessary a ceasefire (in Gaza) is.”
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Netanyahu indicated Israel would continue to fight Hamas.
“I promised you a few days ago that we would bring down the terror towers in Gaza; that’s exactly what we’re doing,” he observed. “In the last two days, 50 such towers have fallen; the Air Force has taken them down.”
Overnight, the Israel Defense Forces exploded another Gaza high-rise, which it said established the military infrastructure to carry out terrorist attacks against IDF troops in the area, and beneath the building, Hamas maintained a site used as a gathering point for terrorists.
On Monday, four Israeli soldiers were killed in an assault on their tank.
The prime minister claimed that bringing down the buildings was “just a prelude” to the main ground operation, and he advised Gazans to flee.
“And so I say to the residents of Gaza, I’m taking advantage of this opportunity, and listen to me carefully: You’ve been warned, get out of there.”
The IDF on Tuesday issued its largest evacuation order yet to the people of Gaza City, a sign that the anticipated ground invasion may be imminent.
In London, the British government affirmed that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza. The new ruling differs from the government’s previous position, which said that only the courts could make that determination.
