‘Sometimes in war accidents happen’: PM expresses regret for shots fired at diplomats in Jenin

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Hamas’s propaganda campaigns and false reports of atrocities being committed by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza helped contribute to the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington last night, in an English-language video shared by his office.

He says that the shooting attack on Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim was not a “random crime” but perpetrated by an anti-Zionist and antisemitic “terrorist…who wanted to kill Jews” and chanted “Free Palestine!” as he was arrested.

He says the international community has “bought into Hamas’s propaganda that says Israel is starving Palestinian children,” explaining that, “Since October 7, Israel has sent 92,000 aid trucks into Gaza…That includes 1.8 million tons of aid,” and that much of this aid was stolen by Hamas to resupply its terrorist members.

He says, “Many international institutions are complicit in spreading this lie,” and that “a few days ago, a top United Nations official said that 14,000 Palestinian babies would die in 48 hours,”

“The press repeats it. The mob believed it. And a young couple is then brutally gunned down in Washington,” says Netanyahu.

He rejects initiatives by other nations to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, saying Hamas terrorists “don’t want a Palestinian state. They want to destroy the Jewish state.”

The premier says he “could never understand how this simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada,” who issued a joint statement earlier this week calling on Israel to end its war in Gaza, lift aid restrictions, halt West Bank settlement expansions and begin working toward a two-state solution.

“As for the hostages,” adds the premier, “we’ll do our effort to secure them. I’m ready for a temporary ceasefire to get more out but we demand, and you should demand, that all of our hostages be released and released immediately… We’re in an intense seven front war that was launched against us by Iran and its proxies. Sometimes in war, accidents happen.”

“One such incident happened the other day in Jenin,” says Netanyahu, referencing the warning shots fired by IDF troops near a delegation of Arab and European diplomats touring the West Bank, which sparked outrage from many of the participating countries, leading several to summon their Israeli envoys for a dressing-down.

“Thankfully, no one was hurt. Our military has expressed its regret over the event because we don’t target civilians or diplomats. We target terrorists. Exactly the opposite of Hamas… But I don’t hear that coming from any of those countries that criticize Israel,” says Netanyahu.