Kurilla’s visit occurred alongside Israel’s massacre of at least 274 Palestinians and the wounding of nearly 700 others in the Nuseirat refugee camp.
The commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Erik Kurilla, visited Israel over the weekend at the invitation of Israeli Chief of Staff General Herzi Halevi, the Israeli military announced on Tuesday.
This visit occurred alongside Israel’s massacre of at least 274 Palestinians and the wounding of nearly 700 others in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, during an operation to rescue four hostages.
“Kurilla and Halevi held an operational situation assessment, discussed recent regional challenges and the strengthening of the strategic partnership against the Iranian threat,” Israeli occupation army spokesman Avichai Adraee said on X on Tuesday.
“They also discussed developments in the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and ongoing Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon,” the post added.
Details of Kurilla’s visit itinerary were not provided.
Amid allegations of direct US involvement in the Nuseirat assault – a survivor claimed to have seen US Rangers – Washington and Tel Aviv denied using the US-built “humanitarian” pier for the operation in the camp.
However, eyewitness accounts and a video shared on Israeli Telegram channels suggest the operation was launched from the US-built pier and included the use of an aid delivery truck to conceal Israeli commandos as they infiltrated the camp.
وصل قائد القيادة المركزية للجيش الأمريكي (CENTCOM)، الجنرال مايكل إريك كوريلا، إلى إسرائيل خلال نهاية الأسبوع لزيارة رسمية وحل ضيفًا على رئيس الأركان الجنرال هرتسي هاليفي. لقد عقد القائدان تقييمًا للوضع العملياتي، وناقشا التحديات الإقليمية في الآونة الأخيرة، وتعزيز الشراكة… pic.twitter.com/krzDKEnRVj
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) June 11, 2024
Ongoing Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 37,164 Palestinians have been killed, and 84,832 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(PC, MEMO)
