ROME -- During a live interview with Sky TG24, Italian Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, suggested that Israel should not have launched its attack on Rafah. 

 “We all said, from all states, communities, Arabs, Westerners, that Israel had to stop because an attack would inevitably cause collateral damage and further damage to innocent civilians,” the minister explained. 

 “They would have created enormous problems of migration, of displacement, of people who would be left without even the possibility of a roof over their head or anything to eat, and had to take all of these things into account when conducting its actions, and we were not listened to.” 

 Crosetto, who is a member of the right wing Brothers of Italy Party, added, “Now we watch the situation with desperation. What we could do, and are doing as Italy, but as in the rest of the world, is help these people, taking care of them and giving help, but it is not enough. By now the crisis has proportions which are difficult to manage, and like I said to my colleague, I have the impression that with this choice Israel is establishing hateful roots which will involve their children and their grandchildren.”

 “I would have preferred a different choice, although I understand and agree with all of the reasons that led to the reaction after the shameful massacre carried out, and the kidnapping of the hostages by Hamas. But Hamas is one thing, the Palestinian people another.”

  The comments were made following Israel’s most recent airstrike on Rafah on Sunday evening which reportedly killed at least 45 people according to the Hamas-run health ministry. 

 When speaking to the Israeli parliament, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that “something unfortunately went tragically wrong” during the attack. 

 Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) said "the attack on a populated camp in a so-called ‘safe zone’ in Rafah shows the complete disregard for the lives of civilians in Gaza.” 

lw