New Delhi: Israel’s Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, justified the Israel Army attacking Gazan hospitals, saying that it was because Hamas used these hospitals to hide its operatives. An infuriated Azar was reacting to an X post by senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, who drew a parallel between Israel's attack on scores of Gazan hospitals and an Iranian attack on an Israel hospital.
Rajdeep wrote on X, "Late-night musing: When Iran attacks a hospital in Israel, it’s a ‘war crime’... but when Israel attacks a hospital in Gaza, it’s justified because terrorists are supposedly hiding there."
He wrote, "Be it in Israel, Gaza, or Tehran tomorrow, any attack on a hospital that leads to civilian deaths is a war crime. Period."
Mentioning the post, Azar wrote that the Indian journalist was wrong since Hamas terrorists were hiding in the Gazan's hospitals while the attacked Israel hospital was not in use for military activities.
"You are wrong. Under international law, when a humanitarian facility is used for military purposes, it loses its immunity. Despite that, Israel has taken measures to clear civilians out of harm’s way—even when Hamas terrorists used hospitals to hide—before targeting them," Azar wrote.
"Israel doesn’t use hospitals to conceal military activities, and therefore, attacking them is a war crime," he claimed.
Following this, Rajdeep wrote another post saying that he believes that Hamas taking Israeli citizens hostage is unacceptable. However, killing and starving children has no place in international law or a rules-based order either.
He wrote, "Sir, NOTHING should justify the scale of killing innocent civilians, especially children, in Gaza. What happened on October 7 was a reprehensible act of terror, and Israel has every right to retaliate against Hamas. Holding hostages is unacceptable, too. BUT killing and starving children has no place in international law or a rules-based order either. Moral relativism in times of conflict needs a wider debate, Mr. Ambassador."