ANKARA

French-Israeli lawyer Nili Kupfer-Naouri drew criticism after she claimed that there were no innocent civilians in Gaza.

“I apologize, but there are no innocent civilians in Gaza,” Nouri said in a live broadcast on the French news channel CNews.

The presenter of the TV program interrupted her saying that her words were “unacceptable” as there were children and women among those killed in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Her claim also took criticism from many social media users.

This week the Israeli army has expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise offensive against Israel on Oct. 7.

The death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has climbed to 8,525, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said Tuesday.

More than 1,538 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar