World Erupts In Anger After Israeli Strike Kills Over 500 At Gaza Hospital

Global wrath is palpable in response to the hospital bombing in Gaza, estimated to be the single deadliest attack since the Israeli-Hamas war began on October 7.

AP

What happened?

After at least 500 people were killed in an Israeli air raid on a hospital in Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities in the besieged territory, the world seems to have erupted in anger.

Where and when?

The attack happened at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday.

View this post on Instagram

How is the world reacting to it?

Pro-Palestine protests broke out in cities across West Asia. Thousands of protesters took to the streets across the Middle East and North Africa on Tuesday to show their outrage in the aftermath of the deadly attack in Gaza.

Spontaneous protests have erupted in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, as well as in West Bank cities like Ramallah.

Reuters

World leaders have also condemned the Gaza hospital bombing, believed to be one of the deadliest single incidents in Gaza since the war broke out.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the attack and stressed the importance of adhering to the laws of war. ¡°The news coming out of Gaza is horrific and absolutely unacceptable ¡­ international law needs to be respected in this and in all cases. There are rules around wars and it¡¯s not acceptable to hit a hospital,¡± Trudeau told reporters.

The African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat accused Israel of a ¡°war crime¡± following the deadly strike. ¡°There are no words to fully express our condemnation of Israel¡¯s bombing of a #Gaza hospital today, killing hundreds of people,¡± Faki said on X, calling for the international community to act.

The Egyptian government has issued a statement denouncing the attack ¡°in the strongest terms¡±, calling on the international community to step in and prevent further violations. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called the ¡°deliberate bombing¡± a ¡°clear violation of international law¡±.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says it is ¡°imperative¡± to have a thorough investigation into the hospital bombing in Gaza.

¡°I am horrified by the images of the explosion in a hospital in Gaza. Innocent civilians were injured and killed. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims,¡± Scholz said on X. ¡°A thorough investigation of the incident is imperative.¡±

I am horrified by the images of the explosion in a hospital in Gaza. Innocent civilians were injured and killed. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims.

A thorough investigation of the incident is imperative.

¡ª Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) October 18, 2023

The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) condemned the strike on the hospital, stating that they ¡°are horrified by the recent bombing¡± of the hospital that was treating patients and sheltering displaced Gazans.

French President Emmanuel Macron said ¡°nothing can justify targeting civilians¡± after the deadly strike on the hospital.

President of Finland Sauli Niinisto condemned attacks on civilians, saying they ¡°are reprehensible.¡±

Hirvitt?vi? uutisia iskusta Al Ahli Arab sairaalaan. Iskut siviilej? kohtaan ovat tuomittavia. Kansainv?list? humanitaarista oikeutta on noudatettava kaikissa olosuhteissa ja sen rikkomukset on tutkittava.

¡ª Sauli Niinist? (@niinisto) October 18, 2023

Lebanon¡¯s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement on Tuesday called for a ¡°day of rage¡± to condemn a strike on a Gaza Strip hospital, blaming Israel for what it called a ¡°massacre¡± and ¡°brutal crime¡±.

Indonesia condemned the hospital strike, which it said ¡°clearly violates international humanitarian law¡±.

The ICRC also condemned the strike, saying, ¡°hospitals should be sanctuaries to preserve human life, not scenes of death and destruction¡±.

Iran¡¯s foreign ministry has denounced the air raid as an attack on ¡°unarmed and defenceless people¡±, Iranian state media reported.

In a statement, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani called for an ¡°immediate and urgent resolution¡± from the UN Security Council to put an end to the ¡°aggression¡±. The government has declared three days of mourning for the victims of the strike.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Jordanian foreign ministry strongly condemned Israel¡¯s attack and emphasised the need for international protection for Palestinian civilians and an end to the fighting. King Abdullah II said Israel¡¯s bombing of Gaza hospital was a ¡°massacre¡± and a ¡°war crime¡± that one cannot be silent about.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry announced the cancellation of the quadripartite summit that was scheduled for Wednesday in Amman, which was meant to include #US President Joe #Biden.https://t.co/yZIaAxEd3m pic.twitter.com/A257IUIb3s

¡ª The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 18, 2023

Qatar¡¯s foreign ministry called the strike ¡°a brutal massacre¡± and ¡°a heinous crime against defenceless civilians¡±.

The regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia condemned the hospital strike as ¡°a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms¡±, denouncing Israel¡¯s ¡°continuous attacks against civilians¡±.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced the attack in a statement on social media. ¡°Hitting a hospital containing women, children, and innocent civilians is the latest example of Israel¡¯s attacks devoid of the most basic human values,¡± he said.

¡°The United Arab Emirates strongly condemns the Israeli attack that targeted Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in the Gaza Strip,¡± read a statement published by the ministry of foreign affairs.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the strike on the hospital in a statement published by the UN. He also called out the attack on a UNRWA school in Al-Maghzi refugee camp in Gaza.

I am horrified by the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in a strike on a hospital in Gaza today, which I strongly condemn. My heart is with the families of the victims. Hospitals and medical personnel are protected under international humanitarian law.

¡ª Ant¨®nio Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 17, 2023

President Joe Biden said he was ¡°outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion¡± and ¡°the terrible loss of life that resulted¡±. Biden announced that he had spoken to Jordan¡¯s King Abdullah II and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ¡°immediately upon hearing this news.¡±

¡°WHO strongly condemns the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital¡±, the UN health agency¡¯s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social media platform X, adding that early reports indicate ¡°hundreds of deaths and injuries¡±.

Why?

Israel has launched a horrific campaign in retaliation for a deadly Hamas gun rampage.

Who is responsible?

While the Palestine group Hamas and most world leaders have blamed Israel for the deadly strike, the Israeli Army said the hospital was hit by a rocket misfired by Islamic Jihad, an ally of the Hamas group, an allegation denied by the group.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.