Netanyahu attacks Gaza ‘to deflect attention’ from corruption charges

Israel’s Prime Minister uses attacks against the Gaza Strip to deflect attention from corruption charges against him, and the potential dissolution of his coalition government, Quds Press said on Sunday.

The comment was made after Benjamin Netanyahu took to Twitter to point out that the Israeli occupation forces had destroyed two tunnels in Gaza. He warned the international community that money being raised to help Palestinian refugees is used by “terror” groups. “It is time for the international community to recognise that Gaza aid money is being buried underground,” he alleged, in reference to the tunnels.

In response, the military wing of Hamas, Al-Qassam Brigades, said that the Israeli claims about destroying tunnels refers to old structures which were used by the Palestinian resistance during the massive Israeli offensive against civilians in the Gaza Strip in 2014. Almost 2,300 Palestinians were killed during the attack.

Israeli media reports expect Netanyahu and his family to be investigated by the police on Monday in relation to Corruption Case 4000. According to Israeli Hayom, Netanyahu’s eldest son Yair will be investigated for the first time in relation to the alleged corruption of his father.

Read: Israeli politicians suspect Netanyahu seeks election to survive corruption probes

At least one independent observer pointed out that allegations about the misuse of humanitarian aid are also old-hat. “Charities are an easy target,” said a spokesman for British charity Interpal, “and evidence is never produced when ‘terrorist’ claims are made. The Prime Minister’s shameful allegation is clearly an attempt to cut the flow of aid to the most vulnerable people during the worst man-made catastrophe to hit the Palestinians since the 1948 Nakba.”