Shameful is your deceit: Israeli envoy jabs Priyanka Gandhi over genocide claim
advertisement"The Israeli state is committing genocide. It has murdered over 60,000 people, 18,430 of whom were children. It has starved hundreds to death, including many children, and is threatening to starve millions. Enabling these crimes by silence and inaction is a crime in itself. It is shameful that the Indian government stands silent as Israel unleashes this devastation on the people of Palestine," she tweeted.
In response, Azar hit out at Vadra and said that "what is shameful is your deceit". He said that Israel killed 25,000 Hamas terrorists and highlighted the country's humanitarian response to Gaza.
Blaming Hamas for creating hindrances in humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza, the envoy said, "The terrible cost in human lives derives from Hamas's heinous tactics of hiding behind civilians, their shooting of people trying to evacuate or receive assistance and their rocket fire. Israel facilitated two million tonnes of food into Gaza while Hamas tries to sequestrate them, thereby creating hunger.""What is shameful is your deceit. Israel killed 25,000 Hamas terrorists... Gaza population has grown 450 per cent in the last 50 years, no genocide there. Don't buy Hamas numbers," he said while rejecting Vadra's claims.In a separate post earlier, the Congress MP condemned the killings of five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza and accused Israel of "breaking" the truth through "violence and hatred".
"The cold-blooded murder of five Al Jazeera journalists is yet another heinous crime committed on Palestinian soil. The immeasurable courage of those who dare to stand for the truth will never be broken by the violence and hatred of the Israeli state. In a world where much of the media is enslaved to power and commerce, these brave souls reminded us of what true journalism is," she wrote on X.The exchange between Vadra and the Israeli ambassador came days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country will launch a new offensive to dismantle Hamas strongholds in Gaza, where a hunger crisis is escalating after 22 months of war.advertisementThe war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages. Israel's subsequent military assault on Hamas in Gaza has killed over 60,000 people and displaced nearly the whole population, causing a severe hunger crisis.On Monday, the UN said there were significant delays and obstructions in coordinating with humanitarian missions in Gaza. It also said that Israeli security clearances were wasting "precious time" over critical aid delivery."On Monday, we requested to coordinate with the Israeli security service's 16 missions, including the collection of food, medical supplies, and fuel from the two operational crossings, Kareem Shalom and Zikim," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying.- Ends(with inputs from Reuters)Must Watch
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