(29 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Geneva, Switzerland – 29 May 2024
1. Palestinian Health Minister entering press briefing room at the U.N. Office in Geneva
2. Close press association logo
3. Wide news conference
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Maged Abu Ramadan, Palestinian Health Minister:
"They know that this is an area for civilians. It was designated by the IDF itself. They know it. They know all the GPS, the data and all this and they should never attack that area. It is simple. Whatever the cause, whether it was their bomb or it was something else, it is therefore…they triggered — they pulled the trigger."
5. Close of journalists notebook
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Maged Abu Ramadan, Palestinian Health Minister:
"What difference, actually, does it make in killing innocent people — whether it is (a) 1 gram (bomb) or it is 500 tons? What? Killing is killing.”
7. Mid of journalist asking question
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Maged Abu Ramadan, Palestinian Health Minister:
"The numbers are accurate. How accurate? Almost 99% of those that we know the names and everything, those are missing. Who can tell the number? Nobody. Neither us nor others."
9. Close of Abu Ramadan listening to question
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Maged Abu Ramadan, Palestinian Health Minister:
"We have suffered a severe toll in lives of our health personnel. More than 500, at least, were killed by the Israelis in direct bombing. Also, others were taken into prison inside Israel."
11. Mid journalist asking question
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Maged Abu Ramadan, Palestinian Health Minister: (referring to the Rafah crossing)
"There is no indication when they (Israeli forces) want to open it (Rafah border crossing). However, I would expect that all our friends and the international community to press hard – and especially, the United States of America – they have to press hard in order to open that."
13. Mid of minister and press association host
14. Wide minister leaving
15. Various exteriors U.N. Geneva
STORYLINE:
The Palestinian health minister said Wednesday that Israeli forces should not have attacked an area near a tent camp in Rafah in Gaza and insisted that no matter the precise cause of dozens of deaths there, “they pulled the trigger” in a military operation.
Maged Abu Ramadan also defended revised figures from Palestinian and U.N. officials about the overall death toll since Israel forces launched a vast military campaign against Hamas and other militants in Gaza over seven months ago.
Israel’s military has suggested that a blaze on Sunday in a tent camp in Rafah, which Gaza health officials said killed 45 Palestinians, was caused by secondary explosions, possibly from Palestinian militants’ weapons.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the resulted from a “tragic mishap.”
Abu Ramadan said Israeli forces never should never have attacked the zone around the tent camp.
“They know that this is an area for civilians. It was designated by the IDF itself,” he said.
“It is simple. Whatever the cause, whether it was their bomb or it was something else. It is therefore they triggered — they pulled the trigger.”
Abu Ramadan, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the World Health Organization’s annual assembly in Geneva, also cited press reports about the types of weapons used by Israeli forces, insisting that no matter the size of the bombs, “killing is killing.”
AP Video shot by Jamey Keaten
===========================================================
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/96ac5d47acc24c349fa4c04f5482968d
