UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese criticized Israeli security forces for its successful hostage rescue operation on Saturday.
Albanese wrote on social media on Saturday that while she was relieved that Shlomi Ziv, Andrey Kozlov, Almog Meir, and Noa Argamani had been “released,” the rescue “should not have come at the expense of at least 200 Palestinians, including children, killed and over 400 injured by Israel and allegedly foreign soldiers, while perfidiously hiding in an aid truck.”
Albanese appeared to reference rumors spread by Palestinian and anti-Israel sources that US special forces had aided in the operation.
“Israel has used hostages to legitimize killing, injuring, maiming, starving and traumatizing Palestinians in Gaza,” asserted Albanese. “And while intensifying violence against Palestinians in the rest of the occupied territory and Israel.”
Criticizing Israel for its actions during the war
Albanese claimed that Israel could have freed all the hostages in a deal at the beginning of the war, but had “refused in order to continue to destroy Gaza and the Palestinians as a people.”
“This is genocidal intent turned into action,” said the controversial UN Rapporteur. “Crystal clear.”
Israeli Foreign Ministry Deputy spokesperson attacked Albanese on X, saying that her “unwavering support of Hamas and Palestinian civilian kidnappers of civilians is truly a piece of grotesque art.”