An Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson confirmed to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday that Israel was responsible for the bombing of Gaza’s largest refugee camp. The airstrike on the Jabalia camp resulted in the death of at least 50 civilians, as reported by Al Jazeera, according to a medical official and Palestinian authorities.
Despite the casualties, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht remained unapologetic. During his conversation with Blitzer, Hecht stated, “There was a very senior Hamas commander in that area. Sadly, he was hiding, again, as they do behind civilians.” He went on to claim that their target, whose identity he withheld, had killed numerous Israelis and was successfully eliminated in Tuesday’s strike.
Blitzer, however, pressed Hecht on the loss of innocent lives. He questioned the decision to bomb the refugee camp, even if the Hamas commander was present among the Palestinian refugees. Hecht responded, “This is the tragedy of war, Wolf. As we’ve been saying for days, move south.” He referred to Israel’s military warning for people to relocate to the southern part of the Gaza Strip to avoid being associated with the “terrorist organization.”
Blitzer continued to challenge Hecht, pointing out that Israel was aware of the presence of refugees in the camp but still chose to bomb it in an attempt to target the Hamas commander. The conversation ended abruptly as Hecht elaborated on the ground operation that resulted in the rescue of Israeli hostage IDF soldier Ori Megidish.
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