Today, Congresswoman Lois Frankel condemned Hamas’s ongoing war crimes against both Israeli and Palestinian civilians. The terrorist organization continues to fire rockets at Israeli civilians from the cover of Palestinian civilian areas. Her comments followed a meeting with Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer and Israeli Defense Attaché Major General Yaacob Ayish.  

“Israel has the right to defend itself, protect its citizens and root out the Hamas terrorists in Gaza.  Hamas is putting Palestinian lives in danger by using them as human shields. By going to extraordinary lengths to prevent civilian casualties, Israel has shown that it cares more about Palestinian lives than do Hamas militants” said Frankel.

Congresswoman Frankel’s comments echo those of the White House, the United Nations, and others who have placed the onus for de-escalation squarely on the shoulders of Hamas.

Hamas has launched more than 500 rockets at Israeli population centers this week, in a clear violation of international law. Hamas continues to embed its terrorist infrastructure in the homes, schools, mosques and hospitals of Palestinian civilians. Instead of keeping its people out of harm’s way, Hamas is urging its men, women, and children to ignore warnings of incoming strikes from the Israeli Defense Forces and remain in their homes as human shields.

Israel meanwhile has shown great restraint in its response to Hamas aggression. Israel delivers repeated warnings to civilians to vacate areas they are about to target, verifies that all civilians have evacuated the premises to the best of its abilities, and uses pinpoint technologies to minimize any collateral damage. A video released by the IDF highlights their exemplary efforts to warn residents and even abort missions when there’s a clear risk to civilians.

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