WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – U.S. ambassador to the Israeli-occupied territories Tom Nides says Washington fully backed the Tel Aviv regime in its last week’s military onslaught against the besieged Gaza Strip, which killed 49 Palestinians, including at least 17 children, describing resistance fighters in the coastal enclave as “bad guys”.
Speaking in an interview with the Israeli Hebrew-language Channel 13 television channel, Nides said the Joe Biden administration is “aware of the situation going on in Gaza” and believes that the latest Israeli operations there were part of “an important mission.”
“These are bad guys,” the U.S. ambassador said of members of the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movements.
“We support Israel’s right to defend itself, its right to basically take the actions it needs to keep this place safe, so we’re fully supportive of Israel’s actions,” he told Channel 13.
Nides said the White House had not been informed of Zionist airstrikes against the Gaza Strip ahead of time, but said, “I don’t think we were surprised.”
“I don’t think we were told in advance but I think we were aware as the actions were taking place,” he said. “We were pretty clear that we support Israel’s security.”
Last Friday, the Zionist regime carried out massacre in Gaza, killing 49 people, including Taysir al-Jabari, a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad resistance movement.
The airstrikes prompted the Al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military wing, to respond by firing hundreds of retaliatory rockets toward the occupied territories, pushing the regime forces on the back foot.
The strong retaliation, as was pledged by the resistance group, forced Tel Aviv to demand a ceasefire in order to prevent maximum damage. The Egyptian-mediated truce took effect late on Sunday.
On Thursday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights raised the alarm over the rate by which the regime has been killing Palestinian children so far this year.
“Inflicting hurt on any child during the course of conflict is deeply disturbing, and the killing and maiming of so many children this year is unconscionable,” Michelle Bachelet said.
So far this year, 37 Palestinian children have been killed at the hands of the Zionist regime. The figure includes 17 children, who perished as a result of the regime’s recent back-to-back airstrikes against alleged positions belonging to the Palestinian resistance movement of the Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.
“International humanitarian law is clear,” the UN official said. “Launching an attack which may be expected to incidentally kill or injure civilians, or damage civilian objects, in disproportionate manner to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated, is prohibited. Such attacks must stop.”
Bachelet lamented “this climate of impunity, along with the long-standing violations” that drives the cycle of violence and the violations.