The Argentine government has condemned Israel‘s bombing on a Gaza Strip refugee camp, where more than 50 people were killed Tuesday.
The foreign ministry on Wednesday questioned the attack in the Jabalya camp, which the Israeli government said was a successful hit on top Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari.
The Israeli military pounded the camp Wednesday, reportedly taking out Hamas terrorists and destroying a building that served as a command center. The Palestinian health ministry said dozens were killed.
Tuesday’s death toll drew widespread condemnation across the international community, including in Argentina, home to Latin America’s largest Jewish community.
‘The deepening violence in the Gaza Strip is causing an increasing number of victims. The civilian population, particularly women, children and the elderly, is the one most affected by this conflict. Likewise, the increase in violence in the West Bank is worrying,’ the Argentine foreign ministry statement read.
Argentina said that while it also condemned the October 7 terrorist attacks launched by Hamas that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, led to the kidnapping of 240 people.
And while it has also acknowledged that Israel has the right to defend itself, the foreign ministry stressed that ‘nothing justifies the violation of international humanitarian law, and the obligation to protect the civilian population in armed conflicts, without making any distinction.’
The Argentine government’s stance on the Middle East conflict came a day after Bolivia severed its diplomatic ties with Israel due to the continuous attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Deputy Foreign Minister Freddy Mamani said in a press conference that Bolivia ‘decided to break diplomatic relations with the Israeli state in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip.’
Colombia, Chile and Brazil joined Bolivia in calling for an immediate ceasefire. Bolivia and Chile have pushed for the passage of humanitarian aid into the zone and accusing Israel of violating international law.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro called Tuesday’s attack a ‘massacre of the Palestinian people’ in a post on the social media network X, formerly known as Twitter, and pleased with both sides to work towards a peace deal.
‘Even in the midst of pain and the unforgivable, the best of humanity has to be born. Even in the midst of unleashed barbarism, the Israeli and Palestinian people have to find the paths of reconciliation,’ Petro wrote. ‘How will the word peace emerge in the midst of so much hatred and horror? It will arise from the word and not from weapons.’
Read More: Argentina condemns Israel’s bombing on Gaza refugee camp that killed more than 50 people
