'Could Ultimately Backfire': Barack Obama Warns Israel On Actions In Gaza

Barack Obama said that some of Israel's actions in its war against Hamas could 'harden Palestinian attitudes for generations' and weaken international support for Israel.

Former United States President Barack Obama.

Amid the war between Israel and Gaza, U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that some of Israel's actions in its war against Hamas, like cutting off food and water for Gaza, could "harden Palestinian attitudes for generations" and weaken international support for Israel, as reported by the news agency Reuters. Speaking on an active foreign policy crisis, Obama said any Israeli military strategy that ignores the human costs of the war "could ultimately backfire."

"The Israeli government's decision to cut off food, water, and electricity to a captive civilian population (in Gaza) threatens not only to worsen a growing humanitarian crisis; it could further harden Palestinian attitudes for generations, erode global support for Israel, play into the hands of Israel's enemies, and undermine long-term efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region," Obama said, as quoted by Reuters.

Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza with air strikes since Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on Israel left over 1,400 people dead. According to Gaza officials, Israel's air strikes have claimed the lives of more than 5,000 Palestinians.

The death toll in Gaza increased substantially on Monday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, after Israel said it had attacked hundreds of targets in the enclave in one of the largest attacks in recent days. The Israeli military also announced it had bombed Hezbollah sites in Lebanon and Hamas targets in Gaza overnight for the last few days.

Obama condemned Hamas' attack and reiterated his support for Israel's right to defend itself. He also cautioned about the risks to civilians in such wars. During his tenure as US President, Obama often supported Israel's right to self-defence at the start of conflicts with Hamas in Gaza but quickly called for Israeli restraint once Palestinian casualties mounted from airstrikes, as reported by Reuters.

In his statement on Monday, Obama acknowledged that the U.S. had itself "fallen short of our higher values when engaged in war," especially after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, as per the news agency.