Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a BBC interview that what Israel "is currently doing in Gaza is very close to a war crime. Thousands of innocent Palestinians are being killed, as well as many Israeli soldiers." According to him, "the war has no objective and has no chance of achieving anything that could save the lives of the hostages." He added: "We are fighting Hamas murderers, we are not fighting innocent civilians, and this must be clear."

