Israeli ambassador to Belgium calls Palestinian martyrs ‘terrorists'

Scandalous comments made by Israeli Ambassador to Belgium Simona Frankel caused outrage after she labelled the 60 peaceful Palestinian protesters martyred by Israel as “terrorists.”

“I’m saddened by the death of any human being, even for the deaths of 55 terrorists on the border,” Frankel said.

The comment drew sharp rebuke from Belgium’s Prime Minister Charles Michel who said during an interview with RTBF radio station that the Israeli ambassador’s remarks were “unacceptable.”

“I was shocked to hear these statements. We demand an international investigation into the events in Gaza. We said that the U.S. decision constitutes a major threat and will lead to even more security problems and tragic events. Turns out we were right.”

Thousands of Palestinians have gathered on the Gaza Strip’s eastern border since Monday morning to take part in protests aimed at commemorating the Nakba anniversary and to protest the relocation of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Monday’s protests were part of weeks-long rallies that will culminate on Tuesday, which marks the 70th anniversary of Israel’s creation, an event Palestinians refer to as the “Nakba” or “the Catastrophe.”

Since the rallies began on March 30, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured by cross-border Israeli gunfire, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Last week, the Israeli government said the ongoing border protests constituted a "state of war" in which international humanitarian law did not apply.