Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu responded sharply to his Canadian counterpart Trudeau
In a sharp response to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's remarks on the "killing of women, of children and of babies" in Gaza, his Israel counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu said it is Hamas and not israel that should be held accountable.
Referring to the October 7 attacks that left 1,200 Israelis dead, Prime Minister Netanyahu posted on X, "It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust."
"While Israel is doing everything to keep civilians out of harm's way, Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm's way," Netanyahu added.
He said when Israel provides civilians in Gaza humanitarian corridors and safe zones, Hamas prevents them from leaving at gunpoint.
"It is Hamas not Israel that should be held accountable for committing a double war crime - targeting civilians while hiding behind civilians. The forces of civilization must back Israel in defeating Hamas barbarism," the Israeli Prime Minister said.
Trudeau's remarks on the Gaza Strip situation came amid growing concern globally on the situation in the densely-populated piece of land. Israel's war against Hamas has already claimed over 11,000 lives in Gaza and displaced over 1.5 million people. Heartbreaking images of newborns laid side-by-side to keep them warm after incubators stopped working due to power cuts have drawn the world's attention to the humanitarian crisis unfolding there.
Three out of 39 premature babies at gaza's Al Shifa hospital died after the facility ran out of fuel to power generators powering incubators.
"I urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint. The world is watching, on TV, on social media - we're hearing the testimonies of doctors, family members, survivors, kids who have lost their parents," Trudeau said during a news conference in British Columbia. "The world is witnessing this killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop."
These were his toughest remarks on Israel since the war began.
The Canadian Prime Minister also said Hamas needed to stop using Palestinians as human shields and should release the 200-odd Israeli hostages it holds.