Hamas spokesperson Basem Naim on Friday said the “deliberate and brutal massacre” by Israel of killing more than a dozen first responders and aid workers in Gaza “will not weaken the resolve of the Palestinian people, nor will they deter us from our legitimate struggle for self-determination.”
An Israeli blockade of a site in the al-Baraksat area of Rafah in southern Gaza this week left 15 people trapped inside. All were either members of the civil defence team or Unrwa staff.Â
Only one intact body was retrieved from the scene. No one made it out alive.Â
“We hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for this premeditated massacre and demand that the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and all relevant human rights bodies take immediate and concrete action to hold the perpetrators accountable,” Naim said in a statement.
“The continued failure of the international community to enforce accountability has only emboldened the occupation regime to escalate its war crimes with impunity. These atrocities will not weaken the resolve of the Palestinian people, nor will they deter us from our legitimate struggle for self-determination and national liberation.”
