Earlier this week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that an “unintentional” Israeli airstrike killed “innocent people” in Gaza. But he added that “this happens in wartime.”
There is, however, some evidence the outcry has subtly shifted Israel’s hard-line behavior, after a monthslong assault and siege of the coastal enclave.
After Netanyahu spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden on the phone Thursday night, Israel announced steps to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza by opening two new humanitarian routes.
On Friday, the U.N. Human Rights Council demanded Israel be held accountable, as the attacks against people involved in humanitarian assistance could be war crimes.
“Attacking people or objects involved in humanitarian assistance may amount to a war crime,” U.N. Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said. “As the High Commissioner has repeatedly stated, impunity must end.”
Israel’s retaliation against Hamas in Gaza — sparked by the militant group’s violent attack against Israel on Oct. 7 last year, in which it killed more than 1,000 people and captured hostages — is growing increasingly difficult for its allies to support, as the Israel Defense Forces lays waste to swathes of Gaza killings thousands of people.
This story has been updated.
