Israeli politicians from all the Zionist parties voiced their support Friday for the deadly Israeli military operation launched in the Gaza Strip, among them Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s top rivals in the far-right opposition.

5-year-old Alaa Abdallah Qaddum is the youngest victim of the Israeli aggression on Gaza (Photo: Wafa)

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu focused his support on the security forces rather than the government, tweeting: “I offer my backing to the IDF and our security forces. We love you and pray for your success.” The head of the far-right and racist Religious Zionism party, MK Bezalel Smotrich, wrote in a message addressed to Lapid: “Mr. Prime Minister, there were and are many differences of opinion between us about the government, its establishment and its functioning.”

However, Hadash lawmakers in the Joint List castigated the operation, with its members accusing Israel of war crimes and claiming that Lapid was acting in order to boost his political standing ahead of the elections in November. Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh (Hadash), noting the reported death of a five-year-old girl, Alaa Abdallah Qaddum, in one of the Israeli strikes, said that “the Israeli government is carrying out war crimes to serve narrow political interests, and Gazans are paying the price in blood. The fire must be ceased immediately.”

Hadash MK Aida Touma-Suleiman said: “Stop the war of choice in Gaza!! Assassinations and bombings will lead to more suffering and destruction in Gaza and won’t bring security to Israeli citizens, and fellow Joint List MK Ofer Cassif asserted that Lapid ordered the operation to bolster his chances in November’s elections. The IDF action is a case of “blood for votes,” says Cassif.