US criticises ‘avoidable’ Israeli attacks on civilian facilities in Gaza Strip

Washington stresses that there is “no reason” for it to open fire on UN vehicles, something that “has happened on numerous occasions”

September 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United States’ permanent representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has criticised the “avoidable” attacks carried out by the Israeli army against civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip and has stressed that there is “no reason” for it to open fire on UN vehicles, something that “has happened on numerous occasions”.

Thomas-Greenfield noted that “there have been numerous attacks in recent weeks in which UN staff and humanitarian workers have been killed or injured” and stressed that “many of these incidents were preventable.”

He also said that the situation in Gaza is “catastrophic” and added that “children are dying, suffering from preventable diseases and missing school.” “Thousands have lost their parents, relatives, teachers and friends, and they bear the physical and psychological scars to prove it,” he lamented.

“We will continue to raise the need for Israel to facilitate humanitarian operations and protect humanitarian workers and facilities, such as the UNRWA school that was attacked by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) last week in Nuseirat,” he said.

In this regard, he stressed that Washington has been “unequivocal” in its conversations with the Israeli authorities that “there is no reason, absolutely no reason, for its forces to open fire on clearly identified UN vehicles, as has happened on numerous occasions recently.”

“The IDF is a professional military and knows very well how to ensure that incidents like these do not occur. That is why the United States expects its leaders to implement fundamental changes in the way they operate, including changes to their rules of engagement and measures to correct obvious deficiencies in the way deconfliction procedures are implemented,” he argued.

Thomas-Greenfield also criticised the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) for “using civilian sites to carry out operations and pose a threat.” “There is no clearer evidence of Hamas’s total disregard for Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” she said.

He has therefore again pointed to the “urgency” of reaching a ceasefire agreement that includes the release of the Israelis kidnapped during the attacks of October 7, 2023, arguing that “it is the best way to ensure that humanitarian workers can carry out their work safely and effectively.”

“We continue to work with Egypt and Qatar to find a way through the negotiations that is acceptable to both sides, but as hard as we work on creative texts and formulas, this is ultimately a question of political will, of whether leaders on both sides are prepared to recognise that enough is enough and that the time has come to take tough action and accept difficult compromises to end this carnage,” he said.

CALLS THE DEATH OF AN ACTIVIST A “HORRIBLE TRAGEDY”

In a statement before the UN Security Council, he also condemned the death of an American activist of Turkish descent after being shot by Israeli soldiers during a protest against settlements in the West Bank, which he described as “a horrible tragedy that should never have happened.”

“We will continue to demand details and ask for access to Israel’s investigation. We will press for accountability regarding the circumstances that led to Aysenur Ezgi Eygi’s death,” he said, adding that “her death, like so many others over the past year, was tragic and unnecessary.”

The Israeli military said last week after an investigation that the activist died “most likely as a result of an indirect and unintentional shot that was intended for an instigator,” prompting US President Joe Biden to demand “full accountability” for Eygi’s death, although he said it had been “a tragic mistake.”

The activist’s family has asked the United States for an “independent investigation” arguing that “given the circumstances of Aysenur’s murder, an Israeli investigation is not appropriate,” while the Palestinian government has “firmly” condemned the “brutal execution” of the young woman. Turkey has announced the opening of an investigation into the incident.