Aerial bombing hits hospital in Gaza and kills hundreds of people, says Gaza Ministry of Health
Authorities in Gaza claim the attack was carried out by Israel, while the Israelis blame the Islamic Jihad group. As for the number of victims, there is still no consensus. A Gaza Civil Defense official said the total was 300 dead and not 500 as reported in a previous statement.
Injured Palestinians taken to Al-Shifa hospital after airstrike on Gaza City hospital - Photo Reproduction/Anadolu Agency/Anadolu/Getty Images
According to a statement from the Ministry of Health, which is controlled by the Hamas group, an aerial bombardment resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people in the Hospital Al-Ahli Arabi, located in the city of Gaza, in the Gaza Strip, this Tuesday (17). The incident came shortly after the UN reported that a school located in the heart of Gaza, which served as a shelter for thousands of people, was also hit, resulting in the tragic deaths of at least six individuals.
The authorities of Gaza blame the attack on Israel, while Israelis claim the Islamic Jihad group is responsible for the attack. To date, there is no consensus on the exact number of victims. A spokesman for the Gaza Civil Defense claimed the death toll was 300, contradicting the claim of the Gaza Ministry of Health, which reports at least 500 dead and injured.
Images of Al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza, where victims of Israel's attack on another hospital were taken. - Photo Reproduction/Anadolu via Reuters Connect/AP Photo/Abed Khaled
The head of Civil Defense mentioned that rescue teams are facing difficulties in dealing with the emergency effectively. Both the Ministry of Health and Civil Defense are controlled by the Hamas group, which exercises control over the Gaza Strip. In a statement, Hamas claims that there are still hundreds of victims trapped under the rubble. Both the Ministry of Health and Civil Defense are controlled by Hamas.
Bombed hospital
Al-Ahli Arabi hospital, run by the Anglican Church, had already been hit by rockets last Saturday. Many city residents who did not have shelter were seeking refuge in the hospital unit. According to Hamas, most of the victims at the hospital were people who were homeless.
Map showing the location of Al-Ahli Arabi hospital in Gaza - Photo Reproduction/Google Maps
Islamic Jihad
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is a militant group associated with Hamas. It was founded in the 1980s in Egypt by university students from Gaza. This group is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union and Israel due to its activities, which include suicide and terrorist attacks, in addition to not recognizing the existence of the State of Israel. In the attack that occurred on October 7, Islamic Jihad joined Hamas' actions. As reported by Reuters news agency, Jihad denied Israeli allegations that it was responsible for the explosion at Al Ahli hospital.
Repercussion
The president of Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, decreed a three-day mourning period in response to the hospital attack. For the Palestinian Authority, this event is considered a massacre. It is important to note that the Palestinian Authority is an adversary group of Hamas and does not hold political power in the Gaza Strip. Mahmoud Abbas had plans to meet with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, on Wednesday (18). However, on Tuesday night, he canceled the meeting and announced that he will return to the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Additionally, Jordan's foreign minister announced the country's withdrawal from a planned summit with US President Joe Biden. That summit was scheduled to take place in Amman and would include the presence of Biden, Egyptian, Palestinian and Jordanian officials.
"There is no point talking about anything now except stopping the war," said Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.
In the United Kingdom, Labor Party leader Keir Starmer expressed his dismay at the shocking images showing the loss of countless lives at Al-Ahli Arabi Hospital, stating that such tragedies are completely devastating and cannot be justified in any way.
Egyptian President Sisi strongly expressed his condemnation of the Israeli airstrike, describing it as a "flagrant violation of international law." Iran's Foreign Ministry, attributing the explosion to the Israeli attack, stated that "unarmed and defenseless people" were killed and injured.
The Syrian presidency characterized this event as "one of the most terrible and bloody massacres against humanity", an assessment that echoed the words of Saudi Arabia, which classified the attack as an "atrocious crime".
Jordan's King Abdullah called it a "war crime", while the UAE and Russia called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council for next Wednesday
