Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday accused the United States of turning a blind eye to the genocide and massacres committed against Palestinians, allowing the Israelis' actions it would prohibit for any other country.

In a strongly worded statement, Sadr condemned what he described as American double standards, stating that if any other country or ruler had done what the Israelis did by bombing camps and leaving behind the charred bodies of children and women in horrific scenes that shame humanity, the world would have been in an uproar, accusing them of terrorism and defiance of international law.

Al-Sadr pointed out that the American democracy is “deceptive and employs double standards”, restricting some while granting its “spoiled child” Israel, free rein.

“What kind of freedom and democracy is this? It is nothing but arrogance and bloodshed that ignores massacres, genocide, and ethnic cleansing,” he said.

“You will not erase Gaza, nor will you kill our pride, pride belongs to Allah alone,” al-Sadr concluded.

On Tuesday, al-Sadr renewed his calls for the closure of the US embassy through diplomatic means, without bloodshed and the expulsion of the US ambassador in Baghdad, following an Israeli strike that targeted a displaced’ persons’ camp in Rafah on Sunday killing at least 45 civilians, according to Gaza health officials.

Muqtada al-#Sadr calls for closing the #US #embassy in #Baghdad after condemning #Israeli strikes in #Gaza, as #Iraq condemns the attacks and supports Palestinian cause

read this article on #TheNewRegion website https://t.co/xZQ2Z2myHn

— The New Region (@thenewregion) May 28, 2024

In a related response, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Monday strongly condemned the Israeli bombing, calling for international intervention.

The ministry's statement denounced the continuous attacks by Israeli forces, particularly the recent targeting of the innocent Palestinian refugee camp in Rafah.

#Iraq condemns and denounces the continued attacks by #Israel and its latest targeting of innocent #Palestinian refugee camp in #Rafah, southern #Gaza Strip, Iraqi state media quoted the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.#TheNewRegion pic.twitter.com/9awrvmOmjN

— The New Region (@thenewregion) May 28, 2024

Israel targeted tents housing displaced people in a designated safe area of northwest Rafah on Sunday evening, dropping seven 2,000-pound bombs, that engulfed the area in flames, burning people alive.

“At least 35 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp northwest of Rafah on Sunday evening, with dozens more injured,” according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

The ministry stated that “no hospital in Rafah can accommodate this number of dead and injured, causing confusion among ambulance teams about where to transport them.”

The targeted area, identified by Gaza officials and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society as a refugee camp, included a large container sheltering families and surrounded by tents.

Videos on social media showed a large fire at the site with paramedics and firefighters struggling to manage the aftermath.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a ruling on Friday stating that “Israel must immediately halt its military attack or any other actions in Rafah,” citing the “immediate danger” to the Palestinian people.