A video purportedly showing the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) bombing the al-Israa University in Gaza has gone viral on social media and attracted the attention of the US. The video was uploaded by a Palestinian higher education institution showing an abandoned university building rocked by a massive explosion that sent shockwaves in all regions.
"The attack wasn't only on the campus, but it was also against the national museum established by the university, containing more than 3 thousand rare artifacts which the Israeli occupation stole, and then bombed the museum to cover up for the crime," alleged Birzeit University on X.
This comes as fighting between Hamas fighters and Israeli troops has intensified each day. Israel has continued to strike what it says are militant targets in all parts of Gaza, often killing women and children. Early Thursday, medics said an Israeli airstrike on a home killed 16 people, half of them children, in the southern Gaza town of Rafah.
Reacting to queries about the bombing of the university, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller declined to comment in detail due to insufficient information about the incident, but revealed Washington has raised the issue with Israel and sought clarification.
Here's the video of the explosion
"We are always troubled by the – by any degradation of civilian infrastructure in Gaza. But without knowing the actual underlying circumstances, I’m a little hesitant, I think for reasons that should be understandable, to pass definitive judgment on it from this podium," he said during a press briefing on Thursday.
"But I can say that we continue to urge Israel to avoid damage to critical infrastructure – that would, of course, include universities – and to ensure the protection of humanitarian and medical sites. That has been something we have urged from the outset of this conflict... It is always difficult when you see Hamas use those civilian sites to hide its fighters, to launch attacks on Israel. But it doesn’t change the burden that Israel has to comply with international humanitarian law and avoid strikes, avoid military action against humanitarian infrastructure," Miller alk said
Miller said Israel faced some difficult choices in the future as its devastating campaign has killed more than 24,000 Palestinians and sparked international alarm, particularly on the issue of who will govern and oversee the rebuilding of postwar Gaza and threats to Israel's security.
Growing rift between Israel and US
The rift between Israel and the US seemed to be growing after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he rejected US calls to scale back the country's military offensive in the Gaza Strip or take steps towards the establishment of a Palestinian state after the conflict ends, drawing scorn from the White House. Netanyahu said in a press conference that he told Washington about his objections to any Palestinian statehood that does not guarantee Israel's security.
"I clarify that in any arrangement in the foreseeable future, with an accord or without an accord, Israel must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River. That's a necessary condition. It clashes with the principle of sovereignty but what can you do," Netanyahu said in Tel Aviv, adding that a Palestinian state would become a launching pad for attacks on Israel.
The US has strongly pushed for the two-state solution to the Palestinian issue - through the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. "We will continue to reiterate to the leadership of Israel, the Government of Israel, and to the people of Israel that these are the opportunities that they have, these are the challenges that they face, but there is no way to solve their long-term challenges to provide lasting security, and there is no way to solve the short-term challenges of rebuilding Gaza and establishing governance in Gaza, and providing security for Gaza, without the establishment of a Palestinian state," Miller said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel would never have “genuine security” without a pathway toward Palestinian independence. While the United States prefers the Palestinian Authority (PA) led by Mahmoud Abbas to take the reins in a postwar Gaza, Israel has maintained that it is in no condition to rule the devastated Palestinian enclave and pledged to take control once the military operations come to an end.
Despite international pressure and an ongoing genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Israel insists that cessation of military operations would amount to a victory for Hamas and vowed not to stop until Hamas is completely crushed to maintain the country's long-term security.
(with inputs from agencies)
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