Hamas praises Chilean president's rejection of Israeli envoy's credentials over Gaza killings

Gaza City, September 18 (RHC)-- The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has commended Chilean President Gabriel Boric's refusal to accept the credentials of the Israeli regime's new ambassador to the Latin American country.

Boric, a vociferous critic of Israel, refused to receive on Thursday the credentials of new Israeli Ambassador Gil Artzyeli because of "Israel's killing of children in Gaza" and the occupying regime's atrocities across the Palestinian territories.  Israeli media reported that "Artzyeli was to present his credentials to President Boric as a formality, but the Chilean government told him to cancel the meeting because of Israel's killing of children in Gaza."

Reports said the new ambassador had already arrived at the residence of the Chilean president to attend the credential presentation ceremony before he was informed of the cancelation of the meeting and returned to its place.

In a press statement on Friday, Hamas spokesperson Jihad Taha expressed appreciation for the Chilean president's move.  Taha called on Chile and all countries around the world to sever their ties with the Israeli regime in support of Palestine's liberation as well as humanitarian justice issues, foremost among them the Palestinian cause.

Boric's move came against the backdrop of the killing of a 17-year-old Palestinian at the hands of the regime forces during overnight clashes in the occupied West Bank.

According to local sources, Uday Trad Salah was shot by the Israeli forces in the head during their storming of the town of Kafr Dan, west of Jenin on Thursday at daybreak.  The sources said the young Palestinian boy later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Jenin.

Israeli forces continue their near-daily raid-and-arrest operations in various parts of the West Bank, wounding or killing Palestinians. Such raids are carried out while Israeli settlers also conduct acts of violence against Palestinians and their property. 

Since the beginning of the year, at least 149 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli occupation forces across the Palestinian territories, the majority of whom are young men, boys and children, according to Palestine's official Wafa news agency.