Israeli ambassador to Colombia Meron Reuben said Sunday that his country’s air strikes against
Hamas are necessary despite an international outcry against the
violence in the Gaza Strip.
“We discern between terrorists and Palestinian
civilians. We know we are facing more than 15,000 armed terrorists,
which makes the situation not easy, but we carefully discern between
Hamas terrorists and the innocent people,” Reuben told local radio
stations.
The Israeli operation began Dec. 27
with air strikes. The Israeli ground operation began January 3. More than
500 Palestinians have been killed and 2,500 injured in the ongoing
violence.
Reuben said Israel’s patience ended after being struck by rockets fired from inside the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian community in Colombia
protested in front of the Israeli embassy in Bogota on January 2, burning
U.S. and Israeli flags and demanding peace for Palestinians. (Xinhua)