‘They look like bloodthirsty savages’: US officials criticize Israel for targeted Hamas killings

The American sources said they were surprised the strikes continued despite what they described as Israel’s acceptance of ceasefire terms.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

U.S. officials have sharply criticized Israel over its continued targeted killings in the Gaza Strip, arguing the operations could undermine efforts to secure Hamas’ disarmament and deepen Israel’s diplomatic isolation, according to comments published Sunday.

The American sources said they were surprised the strikes continued despite what they described as Israel’s acceptance of ceasefire terms that included ending targeted killings in exchange for Hamas taking the next step of surrendering its weapons.

“These are the fruits of eight months of negotiations intended to demilitarize Gaza. Why continue the killings now and give them an excuse to back out?” the sources said.

The officials also argued the operations were harming Israel’s regional standing.

“It isolates Israel even further in the Middle East because all the mediating countries see this as proof that Bibi is not keeping his word or interested in peace,” one source said.

Referring to recent Israeli strikes, the sources added: “He killed three innocent children, making Israelis look like bloodthirsty savages.”

The criticism came as the Israel Defense Forces announced a series of operations against Hamas and other terrorist organizations over the weekend.

The military said it eliminated Salem Jamal Abd al-Rahman Abu Labad, commander of a Hamas Nukhba cell that infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Oct. 7 massacre.

In a separate strike in central Gaza, the IDF said it killed Mohammed Abd al-Nasser Mohammed Khatib, a commander in Hamas’s Maghazi Battalion.

The military said both men operated under Hamas’s military wing and sought to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli forces.

The IDF also said it killed Alaa Imad Khamis Taramsi, a terrorist with the Army of Islam, and Hassan Ibrahim Shahda Kahman, a terrorist with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in Gaza City on Saturday.

In another strike last week in northern Gaza, the military said it eliminated Ahmed Khadri, a terrorist in Hamas’s Jabalia Battalion.

Separately, Reuters reported that eight Palestinians, including two children, were killed and several others wounded in Israeli strikes across Gaza early Sunday. Palestinian sources and witnesses also reported additional fatalities in separate strikes in al-Qarara, west of Deir al-Balah and Gaza City.