A former Israeli defense minister has accused his country of committing war crimes and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip, in rare criticism from Israel’s own security community about military operations in the Palestinian enclave.
The Israel Defense Forces and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
He also served as defense minister from 2013 to 2016, including during a 2014 war in Gaza that lasted more than six weeks and had been the longest conflict between Israel and Hamas until the current one.
Netanyahu’s Likud party, of which Yaalon is a former member, said Yaalon was spreading “slanderous lies.”Yaalon’s comments came after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant last month over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
The Biden administration also rejects the arrest warrants but has warned of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israel has allowed little aid to enter in recent months.
Persons:
Moshe Yaalon, “, ”, ” Yaalon, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Yaalon, Netanyahu, Yaalon’s, Yoav Gallant, ” Gallant, Gallant, Biden, Menahem Kahana
Organizations:
Israel Defense Forces, Criminal, Democrat TV, Hamas, Likud, ICC, Getty, Human
Locations:
Gaza, Jabalia, Israel, Iran, Jerusalem, AFP, Geneva