TEHRAN- As Palestinians continue grieving for victims of yet another Israeli massacre in Gaza, calls have grown for an end to the regime’s mass-slaughter of civilians.

Footage of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza after the Israeli bombardment that killed at least 274 Palestinians and injured around 700 others shows much of the camp reduced to ashes. 

Countries across West Asia condemned the massacre in a scathing criticism of the Israeli occupation regime. 

The South African government also issued a lengthy statement, which labeled the attack “in a designated safe zone” as “one of the single worst massacres committed by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza”. 

The statement said, “We are appalled that these attacks are being praised by some, for saving four Israeli hostages, while killing and severely injuring hundreds of innocent Palestinian civilians.”

The South African Government added, “While families mourn the loss of life, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant jubilantly termed the operation ‘daring in nature, planned brilliantly, and executed in an extraordinary fashion.’ This once again raises the question of whether some believe that Palestinian lives matter.” 

Also, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Havana also condemns the massacre “in the strongest terms”, highlighting that it provides more “evidence of the genocide that Israel commits with impunity against the people of Palestine”. 

Turkey’s foreign ministry branded the massacre as “barbaric”, saying it was another entry to the list of war crimes it (Israel) has committed in Gaza.”

“We deplore the Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, which has killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians,” the foreign ministry added.

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, stressed the “Nuseirat refugee camp is the epicenter of the seismic trauma that civilians in Gaza continue to suffer.”

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borrell, wrote on social media that the “reports from Gaza of another massacre of civilians are appalling. We condemn this in the strongest terms. The bloodbath must end immediately”. 

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation slammed the Israeli assault as another example of organized state terrorism and genocide. 

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, emphasized that Tel Aviv has been using captives to legitimize killing, injuring, and starving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, said. 

Albanese pointed out that the Israelis could have retrieved all captives alive and intact eight months ago when the first ceasefire and exchange deal was put on the table. “Yet, Israel refused in order to continue to destroy Gaza and the Palestinians as a people.” 

Despite some 1,000 casualties, the United States, which played an active role in the massacre, just said it was “concerned”. 

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan admitted that civilians had been killed in Gaza. “Any time civilians are killed, we’re concerned,” he said. 

Palestinian medics say many of those who perished were children, while a large portion of the injured are also children who have lost their parents. 

The Israeli military claims the air, sea and ground assault was needed to rescue four captives. However, the savage nature of the assault also killed three other Israeli captives, according to the armed wing of Hamas. 

Experts have said this was not a “hostage rescue operation” but a war crime.