No fewer than 500 hundred people are reported to have been killed in a massive explosion at a crowded Anglican Hospital in Gaza City. The number which is still rising represents the biggest single loss of life in the blockaded territory in all the five wars between Hamas and Israel since the militants took over the strip in 2007.
The al-Ahli al-Arabi, also known as the Baptist hospital is owned by the Anglican Church, and was reportedly struck without any prior warning. It was previously hit by a rocket on Saturday in an attack that injured four medical staff.
Canon Richard Sewell, the dean of the Anglican-run St George’s College in Jerusalem, said: “Disaster: our hospital, Ahli Arab hospital, has taken a direct hit from an Israeli missile.
The Gaza health ministry, which is run by Hamas, said at least 500 people were killed on Tuesday night in what it said was an Israeli airstrike on al-Ahli al-Arabi. A spokesperson for the Gaza civil defence put the number of killed at about 300.
The bloodshed at the hospital comes 11 days into a new war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group that continues to escalate before an expected visit to the region by Joe Biden, complicating US efforts to stop the conflict spiralling across the Middle East.
The Israeli military said an initial investigation suggested the explosion was caused by a failed Hamas rocket launch, before saying it was the result of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket barrage. Islamic Jihad denied the Israeli allegation, and the scale of the blast appeared to be outside either of the militant groups’ capabilities.
Several world leaders have condemned the attack.
Here are some of the early key reactions:
Palestine
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the air raid as an act of “genocide” and a “humanitarian catastrophe”.
Abbas has also withdrawn from a previously scheduled meeting with US President Joe Biden, who is set to arrive in the region on Wednesday.
Jordan
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.
Egypt
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.
Qatar
Qatar’s foreign ministry said the attack marked a dangerous escalation.
“The expansion of Israeli attacks over the Gaza Strip to include hospitals, schools, and other population centres is a dangerous escalation,” the statement reads.
World Health Organization (WHO)
“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”.
“We call for the immediate protection of civilians and health care, and for the evacuation orders to be reversed.”
The Arab League
Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that international leaders must “stop this tragedy immediately” in response to the attack.
“What diabolical mind intentionally bombards a hospital and its defenceless inhabitants?” he wrote in a social media post, saying that “Arab mechanisms will document these war crimes and the criminals will not get away with their actions.”
Turkey
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.
“I invite all humanity to take action to stop this unprecedented brutality in Gaza.”
Canada
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.
Iran
Iran’s foreign ministry has denounced the air raid as an attack on “unarmed and defenceless people”, Iranian state media reported.
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
