Israel’s ambassador to the UK has insisted children have “never” been targeted in Gaza and said Hamas should be blamed for every death.
Tzipi Hotovely was challenged on the deaths of innocent civilians by Wilfred Frost after two British surgeons, who have worked in Gaza during the Israeli bombardment, filmed video blogs for Sky News.
He asked how many children it is “legitimate and proportionate” to kill, including those being treated in hospital, in order to kill Hamas terrorists.
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Ms Hotovely said Israel was “not there to kill anyone” and “never targets civilians”, with its attacks complying with international law.
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Dr Victoria Rose, a consultant plastic surgeon, who has worked in Gaza hospitals for three separate periods, previously told Sky she felt the number of children coming through the doors was “barbaric”.
She said there were “more innocent children, let alone adults, that are dying per Hamas scalp that you see”.
Asked about her account, Ms Hotovely said: “We never targeted the children, it’s Hamas that needs to be blamed…But they need to blame Hamas for creating this reality for the Palestinian people.”
She added: “For every life lost in Gaza, you need to blame Hamas for committing the crimes on 7 October and for committing the war crimes by using people as human shields.”
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the October 7 2023 attack.
The group is still holding 50 hostages, with less than half of them believed to be alive.
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Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Ms Hotovely said Israel is “not interested in wars”, adding: “So we are asking a very simple request from the international community – pressure Hamas to release our hostages and we will have a better condition to get to a ceasefire.”
