Israel actions in Gaza close to war crimes former Israeli prime minister says
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has condemned his country's actions in Gaza, accusing the government of killing innocent Palestinians amid growing criticism of its handling of the war.
In a BBC interview on Tuesday, Olmert, who served as the prime minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, said what Israel was doing in Gaza is "very close to a war crime".
He told the network that the “obvious appearance” of the war on Gaza is that "thousands of innocent Palestinians are being killed, as well as many Israeli soldiers," adding that "from every point of view, this is obnoxious and outrageous.
"The war has no objective and has no chance of achieving anything that could save the lives of the hostages... We are fighting Hamas murderers, we are not fighting innocent civilians, and this must be clear," Olmert said.
Olmert's comments drew ire from several Israeli politicians, including Education Minister Yoav Kisch, who said the former prime minister should be ashamed of himself.
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"While IDF soldiers are risking their lives in the face of murderous terror that seeks to destroy us, he chooses to incite and stab them in the back," Kisch wrote on X.
Social Equality Minister May Golan hit back at the former premier, writing: “The only crime in this war is your spitting in the faces of (Israeli army) fighters who are currently fighting the modern-day Nazi enemy. And yes, there are innocent people in Gaza - 58 to be exact,” referencing Israeli captives.
Meanwhiel, Likud MK Nissim Vaturi accused Olmert of being a "corrupt prime minister who has been here since the founding of the state, consumed by self-hatred, a mouthpiece for Hamas”.
Olmert's comments come a week after he claimed in a BBC interview with Sarah Montague that while he does not know if the complete Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip constitutes as war crime or genocide, he denounced the siege as "totally intolerable, unacceptable, unbearable and unforgivable".
“In the eyes of the international community maybe we are already considered to be committing war crimes,” he said at the time.
On Monday, countries including the UK, France and Canada threatened Israel with "concrete actions" unless it halts its offensive and lifts its blockade of Gaza, which a UN panel last week said had left nearly half a million Palestinians facing starvation.
No aid has reached Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip as of Wednesday, despite Israeli claims that dozens of trucks have entered. Since 2 March, Israel has enforced a total blockade on Gaza, preventing any food, medical supplies, or goods from entering the besieged enclave.
A 'political and immoral' war
Outrage over the government's handling of its war on Gaza has been gaining momentum amongst Israeli politicians and the general public.
On Tuesday, Israeli journalist Bar Shem-Ur revealed that former army commanders and officers collected hundreds of signatures in a newly drafted letter calling for an end to the "immoral" war that "could lead to war crimes".
The letter has reached over 700 signatures, with those leading the call estimating that thousands of signatories are expected in the coming days.
"The Gaza war has become political and immoral - stop it! We, former IDF officers and commanders, appeal to the Chief of Staff and the General Staff Generals with an urgent appeal: Stop the war in the Gaza Strip," the letter read.
"Continuing the war goes against the will of the overwhelming majority of the public, will result in the deaths of hostages, IDF soldiers, and innocent civilians, and may lead to the commission of war crimes.
"This is a war that prepares the occupation of Gaza and is intended to implement the messianic vision of a small minority in Israeli society.
"Our existence as a society and as a state is conditioned by belief in the righteousness of the path, in mutual guarantee, in upholding the values of Jewish morality, and in a deep commitment to human life."
Meanwhile, Yair Golan, former general and leader of the Democrats opposition party, suggested that Israel was "fighting against civilians, killing babies as a hobby, and aims to expell the population" in its war on Gaza.
“Israel is on the way to becoming a pariah state, like South Africa was, if we don’t return to acting like a sane country,” Golan said.
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