Schmale also denied that there were shortages of food and medical supplies in Gaza.
Despite saying, “So yes they did not hit, with some exceptions, civilian targets, but the viciousness and ferocity of the strikes was heavily felt,” Schmale’s remarks produced outrage among Palestinian factions, including Hamas, which stated that his “comments are a complete distortion in favor of the Zionists including an attempt to exonerate the Occupation [and] the murder of 254 Palestinians.” Other Palestinian factions quickly argued that Schmale was “a major reason for the suffering of thousands of Palestinian refugees and UNRWA employees in the Gaza Strip.”