Netanyahu says Hamas is Palestinians’ foe

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues his media blitz on foreign television channels, giving interviews to Sky News Arabic, Fox News and NBC’s Nightly News. While he has held two short press conferences since Operation Protective Edge started, he has not given any interviews to Israeli media outlets.

“Hamas is the enemy of the Palestinians — it takes the money designated for the residents of Gaza and instead of building them kindergartens, they dig tunnels that are supposed to explode in [Israeli] kindergartens,” he tells Sky News. “Hamas hides missiles in hospitals, but prohibits the residents of Gaza from coming to the hospital we opened for them.”

Israel accepted several offers of ceasefires, but Hamas rejected and violated them, the prime minister adds. “Hamas is responsible for any damage done to the residents of Gaza.”

— Raphael Ahren