Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas has stressed that the attack on al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza was a “hideous war massacre” that cannot be tolerated.
This follows after Israeli bombardment struck the packed hospital compound in central Gaza.
According to officials in the besieged Gaza Strip, the bombing killed an estimated 500 people, including patients and displaced Palestinians sheltering inside the hospital.
The health ministry in Gaza said that blast at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital was caused by an Israeli air raid.
Meanwhile, Israel attributed the explosion to a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed group. The PIJ has, however, denied the allegation.
The attack quickly sparked international condemnation. Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called the “deliberate bombing” a “clear violation of international law.”
Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau also said, “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 added.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was reported as saying, “The flames of the U.S-Israeli bombs, dropped this evening on the Palestinian victims injured at the… hospital in Gaza, will soon consume the Zionists.”
The attack also sparked protests in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian President was in Jordan for a four-way meeting but pulled out following the attack.
Later, Jordan announced the cancellation of the summit with US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
“In light of this calamity that occurred tonight, and out of concern for our people, I decided to cut short my visit and return to the homeland to be among my people in this great ordeal, and I agreed with the brothers in Jordan and Egypt to cancel the summit that was scheduled today in Amman with President Biden.”
Mahmoud Abbas
Abbas pronounced, “We will not allow a new Nakba [catastrophe] in the 21st century, and we will not accept the displacement of our people again.”
“Our people will remain steadfast in their homeland and will not leave, no matter the sacrifices,” he added.
“We will do everything necessary to stop the bloodbath in Gaza and in the West Bank. We will not accept anything other than stopping this war, and the Security Council must shoulder its responsibilities and take the initiative to issue a resolution to condemn this crime and stop the aggression immediately.
“Our people will not kneel, will not surrender, and will prevail.”
Mahmoud Abbas
Russia’s foreign ministry Spokesperson, Maria Zakharova stated that Israel must provide satellite images to prove that it was not involved in the hospital attack.
Zakharova was reported as saying that Russia classifies the attack as a crime and an act of dehumanisation.
Meanwhile, Israeli air raids continued to hit Gaza early on Wednesday, just hours after the strike at al-Ahli Hospital.
At least 37 more people have been killed in separate air raids targeting two neighbourhoods at a refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to officials.
The Interior Ministry in Gaza said the Israeli bombardments hit the areas of al-Qasaib and Halima al-Saadia in Jabalia.
“Time is OVER!”
Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called for humanity to unite globally against Israel following the “massacre of … innocent women and children” at Al-Ahli Hospital.
“After the terrible crime of the Zionist regime in the bombing and massacre of more than a thousand innocent women and children in the…hospital the time has come for the global unity of humanity against this fake regime more hated than ISIS and its killing machine,” he wrote on social media.
He added, “Time is OVER!”
Meanwhile, German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz stated that it is “imperative” to have thorough investigation into the hospital attack.
“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.”
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