On December 14, in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, people inspect the ruins of buildings following Israeli air strikes. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Khalid Omar).
BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) last week admitted to the wrongful killing of three Israeli detainees, sparking loud demonstrations in Israel calling for renewed negotiations with the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) for the release of the hostages.
European countries such as France, Britain and Germany have also called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Israel on the 18th, and he will continue to discuss with Israel to reduce the intensity of its military operations.
The Israeli army's manslaughter sparked demonstrations.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari confirmed on the 15th that the Israeli army mistakenly killed three Israeli detainees during a military operation in Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip on the same day. According to the Associated Press, this is the first time Israel has admitted to manslaughtering detainees during the conflict.
The three deceased, all young males in their 20s, were detained by Palestinian militants on 7 October, the day of the new Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hajari said that the Israeli army believes that the three men were either out of the control of Palestinian militants or were "put on hold" by Palestinian militants at the place of the incident because of the fierce fighting in the area for several days.
This December 17 IDF release shows Israeli ground forces discovering a large underground tunnel in the Gaza Strip. Xinhua News Agency.
The manslaughter of three Israelis by his own side sparked a public demonstration**. Demonstrations broke out in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem demanding the immediate release of the other detained Israelis. According to multiple reports, Hamas is still holding more than 100 Israelis.
According to the US "New York Times", Raz Ben-Ami, an Israeli who was recently released by Hamas, participated in a demonstration in Tel Aviv on the evening of the 16th, and her husband O'Hade was still detained in the Gaza Strip. Ben-Ami said she "had warned that the fighting could hurt the detainees. ”
Unfortunately, I was right. Ben Ami said.
Nahum Barneya, a prominent Israeli commentator, wrote that the three deaths were not only a tragedy, but also a "war crime" and that "international law clearly defines this issue." Israel must be more demanding of its personnel.
Yagil Levy, a military expert at the Open University of Israel, said that the incident has made the risks faced by the detained Israeli personnel "very concrete", and at the same time added impetus to the "prisoner exchange", which may make Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other cabinets** consider "paying a higher price" for the exchange of detainees.
Israel and Hamas had a seven-day temporary ceasefire since November 24, during which they released seven groups of detainees, Israel released 240 Palestinians, and Hamas released more than 100 people, including foreign nationals and Israeli women and children.
Nathan Sachs, director of the Center for Middle East Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, also believes that Israel, under pressure from this incident, may renegotiate with Hamas on the release of the detainees.
European countries are pressuring for a ceasefire.
The manslaughter incident did not affect Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli army continued to carry out air strikes and artillery bombardments on the Gaza Strip on the 17th. Netanyahu said on the 16th that Israel's high-intensity military operation in Gaza will not change. Israel will continue to fight until "Hamas is destroyed" and until all detainees are freed.
In the face of Israel's position, a number of European countries have called for a ceasefire.
On December 14, in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, people inspect the ruins of buildings following Israeli air strikes. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Khalid Omar).
During a visit to Israel on the 17th, French Prime Minister Catelyn Colonna called for an "immediate ceasefire" to release more detainees, while allowing more aid to enter the Gaza Strip, and many parties "moved towards opening a political solution".
Earlier, France confirmed that a French consulate staff member was killed by Israeli bombing at his home in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on the evening of the 13th. The French side condemned the bombing, which killed several civilians, and demanded that the Israeli side investigate it "as soon as possible".
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and German Minister Annalena Baerbock jointly wrote an article in the British "Sunday Times" on the 16th, calling for a "sustainable" ceasefire between Palestine and Israel.
In their view, three key points to achieving a "sustainable" ceasefire are: Israel's compliance with international humanitarian law;The Palestinian population must be allowed more assistance;All parties interested in ending this round of conflict need to cooperate to reach a solution that will ensure the long-term security of the populations of Israel and Palestine. They stressed that Hamas must disarm.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Israel on the 18th, and it is expected that he will ask Israel to reduce the intensity of its military operations, and at the same time continue to discuss with the Israeli side to set a timetable for the Israeli army to end the "most intense phase of the war." (Reporter: Haiyang, Chen Lixi).
*:Xinhua.