Written by Sanjeev Trivedi
As controversy flares over the bombing of a hospital in Gaza killing hundreds, the Palestinian Ambassador to India has said they have proof it was an Israeli attack. In an exclusive Interview to News24 Consulting Editor Sreenivasan Jain in New Delhi the Palestinian Envoy Adnan Abu Alhaja said that the Israelis had spoken to the Director of the ill fated hospital to evacuate the patients three days ago, indicating an attack was imminent. The envoy also claimed that to frighten people to leave the Hospital, the Israeli Defence Forces shot small rockets as a precursor to the deadly attack. “I’m telling you, one day before, they shot two small rockets near that hospital”, claimed the Envoy. He said the smaller rockets were shot to threaten the Director to take the patients out the Hospitals. As the patients and their relatives had nowhere to go, they became sitting targets of the brutal Israeli attack.
देखिये फिलिस्तीनी राजदूत अदनान अबू अलहैजा का ख़ास इंटरव्यू
◆ देखिये Dateline India with @SreenivasanJain
#SuperExclusive #IsraelHamasWar #DatelineIndia | Adnan Abu Al Haija https://t.co/wkuKS0qVkQ— News24 (@news24tvchannel) October 18, 2023
Setting a new angle to the Hamas attacks on Israeli citizens in which close to 1400 Israelis including children, elderly and festival goers were murdered in the Hamas attack, the Palestine’s ambassador said most of those killed were military men and not the civilian. When confronted with regard to the people killed at the Music Festival, the Palestinian Ambassador said, “to me it was lies as they (Israel) raise the numbers by hundreds. Not like the number of Palestinians killed.”
Read More: Amid War, UK PM Rishi Sunak To Visit Israel For Meetings With Netanyahu
What was noticeable was his reluctance to condemn the Hamas for the death of innocent Israeli civilians. The Ambassador said, “Where can they go? Tel Aviv? They are from Gaza. They can attack Hamas in a ground attack, and then Hamas will come out. We don’t know where members of Hamas are”. He added that in Gaza its people everywhere as Part of East Gaza has already been occupied by Israeli. People in Gaza live in the fear of getting shot or getting assassinated by Israeli Drones.
Amid the fresh outbreak of violence in the Israel-Hamas war, the Palestinian Ambassador said they may ask Prime Minister Modi to mediate. The Envoy said Palestine thinks India is a friend and hopes India looks to both sides with the same eye. The Envoy claimed to be in touch with the Indian Government. On the possibility of PM Modi being called upon to help mediate this crisis, the Palestine Ambassador said he hoped that may happen soon.