2 Israeli ministers slam rescue of dozens of orphans from besieged Gaza

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Two Israeli ministers on Tuesday condemned an army operation to rescue 70 Palestinian orphans from the Gaza Strip and facilitate their transfer to the West Bank upon a request from Germany.

According to Israeli Channel 12, the German Embassy in Israel asked Tel Aviv to facilitate the transfer of the orphaned children from the besieged enclave to the West Bank.

The orphans were reportedly accompanied by dozens of adult staff members from the SOS Children’s Village in Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.

The broadcaster said the operation was approved by the National Security Council and conducted in coordination with the Civil Administration.

“He who is compassionate to the cruel will ultimately become cruel to the compassionate,” far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on X, quoting a rabbinic adage.

​​​​​​​“I demand clarification from the prime minister on who gave this immoral order and with what authority, while our hostages and their children are held captive by the enemy.”

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir termed the operation as a “fake humanitarian measure.”

“This is not how a country that strives for absolute victory is run,” Ben-Gvir said. “In war, you have to crush the enemy, without being sanctimonious all the time.”

There was no comment yet from the German Embassy on the report.

Israel has waged a retaliatory offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. The offensive has killed nearly 31,200 Palestinians and injured over 72,900 others amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Palestinian enclave, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul