In the wake of the horrific attack on a refugee camp in Rafah that killed dozens of Palestinian civilians sheltering in tents, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labelled it a “tragic mishap” and promised utmost efforts to avoid harming innocents. This rings depressingly familiar after previous “tragic accidents” and “unbearable tragedies” for which Netanyahu’s government pledged investigations and lessons learned, only for more civilian bloodletting to follow.The Rafah offensive plan has not been forestalled.This knee-jerk response was significant in its addendum -- Israel succeeded in targeting two key Hamas leaders. The invisible bracketed text was unmistakable: the ends justify the means. The prediction in our editorial ten days after Hamas’ October attacks has sadly rung true - Netanyahu’s heavy-handed retaliation rooted in his right-wing politics has inflamed rather than resolved this conflict. We warned then that his “ham-fisted approach threatens to widen the conflict” by emboldening groups like Hezbollah. Not only did Hezbollah forces make incursions into northern Israel but its backer Iran launched a drone and missile attack aimed at Israel.
