Israel faces condemnation over Gaza tent attack

Countries including Palestine, Jordan, Egypt and Iran on Tuesday strongly condemned the deadly Israeli attack on a crowded camp housing displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

The continuation of the war against the Palestinian people and the U.S. support have put the region at risk, Palestinian Presidency spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a press statement.

The strikes on the designated safe zone on Tuesday killed at least 40 people and injured more than 60 others, according to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office. At the same time, local health authorities reported the arrival of 19 bodies at hospitals, saying more victims are likely being trapped under the rubble.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry warned in a press statement that the continued impunity of Israel and its leaders and the provision of protection for them gives them more time to commit the most heinous crimes of killing and displacing Palestinians.

In a statement, Jordan's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Israel's "systematic and continuous" targeting of civilians and shelters for displaced persons in Gaza.

Echoing a similar sentiment, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that the absence of effective international action to put an end to the human suffering in Gaza has become a real challenge to the credibility of all humanitarian standards and values.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani also called on international organizations, especially the UN Security Council, to take immediate and effective actions to deter Israel and curb its "unbridled crimes."

On the same day, the ministers of Arab countries urged Israel's complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, including from the Philadelphi Corridor and the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing.

The ministers categorically rejected Israel's plans for "the day after its aggression" and its control over any part of Gaza, according to a resolution issued after the 162nd session of the Arab League (AL) Council at the ministerial level held in Egypt's Cairo.

The Palestine-Egypt borders are sovereign ones that "should not be touched," the resolution said, stressing "the need to operate the Rafah crossing in accordance with the applicable rules, and to remove all obstacles to safe, sufficient and rapid humanitarian access through the crossing."

The Israeli army took control of the Philadelphi Corridor, a 100-meter-wide and 14-km-long buffer zone along the Egypt-Gaza border, and the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing in May, halting the entry of humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza.

On September 2, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a news conference that Israeli forces are "not going to withdraw" from the corridor, reiterating that keeping it under control is critical for preventing future weapons smuggling from Egypt to Gaza.

The corridor remains one of the differences that have stalled the ceasefire negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

Hamas on Tuesday rejected the U.S. accusation that it is the main obstacle to reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, calling the accusation "a blatant bias in favor of the Israeli position," according to a statement by a senior Hamas official.

Hamas political bureau member Izzat al-Rishq said the U.S. administration believed that "blaming Hamas is less costly in light of the U.S. elections," adding that "the world knows that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is the one who added new conditions and demands, not Hamas."

During a press briefing at the White House on Monday, Kirby told reporters that Hamas had put forward new demands in the negotiations, making reaching a ceasefire deal more difficult.

(With input from agencies)