Condemnations pouring in following Gaza hospital massacre
8 Min Read
A number of countries, international bodies, and organizations condemn the savage massacre "Israel" committed against defenseless civilians in al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.
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Bodies of Palestinians killed by an Israeli strike at the al-Ahli Arab hospital are gathered in the front yard of the al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP/Abed Khaled)
Cuba condemned the massacre committed by the Israeli occupation against al-Ahli Hospital, demanding an immediate ceasefire.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel took to X to express his condemnation of the atrocious crime: "#Cuba condemns in the strongest terms the bombing perpetrated by Israel against the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza that has caused hundreds of deaths and injuries. We demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to these flagrant violations of International Humanitarian Law."
#Cuba condena en los términos más enérgicos el bombardeo perpetrado por Israel contra el Hospital Al Ahli en Gaza que ha provocado cientos de muertos y heridos. Demandamos un cese al fuego inmediato y poner fin a estas violaciones flagrantes del Derecho Internacional humanitario.
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) October 17, 2023
Venezuela, on its part, expressed its strong condemnation of the massacre committed by "Israel" by bombing the hospital in Gaza, which led to the death of at least 500 people.
In a statement, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said the Bolivarian government demands an immediate ceasefire and cessation of these blatant attacks on human rights, as well as the restoration of the rights of the Palestinian people and the identification of those responsible for these crimes against humanity.
Hezbollah on Tuesday called for a "day of rage" to condemn a strike on a Gaza Strip hospital, blaming the Israeli occupation for the "massacre".
"Let tomorrow, Wednesday, be a day of rage against the enemy," Hezbollah said in a statement, calling the strike a "brutal crime".
Earlier, the Health Ministry of Gaza reported that over 500 people have been martyred in an Israeli strike on the al-Ahli Arab Hospital. Following the massacre, a number of countries, international bodies, and organizations condemned the savage attack committed by the Israeli occupation against defenseless civilians.
"Wednesday [October 18] will be a day of unprecedented anger against the enemy and its crimes, as well as against [US President Joe Biden's] visit to the Zionist entity [Israel] to cover up and protect this criminal entity," Hezbollah said stressed.
These were "Israel's" targets when it bombed Al-Maamadani Hospital in the #Gaza Strip - innocent children and babies. #Palestine #GazaUnderAttack #المستشفى_المعمداني pic.twitter.com/hCbVINQa9x
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 17, 2023
The statements of condemnation are no longer enough, the Lebanese Resistance group pointed out, adding that it calls on the people of Arab and Muslim nations to immediately take to the streets to express "strong anger and put pressure on governments and countries wherever they are."
Hezbollah also blamed the United States for the shelling of the hospital in the Gaza Strip, saying, "The United States bears direct and full responsibility for this massacre and all crimes committed by the Zionist enemy."
On his part, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned that "the flames of US-Israeli bombs dropped this evening on the Palestinian victims injured at the... hospital in Gaza, will soon consume the Zionists," according to IRNA.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday declared three days of mourning after the "hospital massacre" in Gaza.
Abbas announced "public mourning for three days and flags flown at half-mast for the martyrs of the Baptist hospital massacre and all our people's martyrs," the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said.
"Israel has committed a horrific military massacre by striking a hospital in Gaza ... We call on the UN Security Council to condemn Israel's actions," he said in a video message, urging the international community to protect the Palestinian people.
"Seventy-five years of suffering and crimes and the world remains completely silent. We have warned the world of the consequences of Israeli crimes, and I demand that our people be protected," Abbas said, underlining that Palestinians do not accept the policy of forced displacement and will not leave their lands.
The Palestinian Authority President announced that he would cut short his visit to Amman and return to be among the Palestinian people in this great ordeal, stressing that the Israeli occupation government had crossed all red lines.
Abbas confirmed that he decided, in coordination with Jordan and Egypt, to cancel a summit that was scheduled today with US President Joe Biden.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called the deadly attack on the hospital a "cold-blooded massacre" of Palestinian civilians and said that it would "forever remain a stain on the conscience of humanity."
The Ministry also urged the UN Security Council to "condemn and end this carnage and unhinged impunity."
A father carries the body parts of his children in bags after the brutal Israeli massacre on the #BaptistHospital in #Gaza.#PalestineGenocide #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/NSZYqDcEVE
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 17, 2023
Russia and the United Arab Emirates called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting following the deadly Israeli strike on the hospital, the Russian ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyanski, said on Telegram.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "horrified" by the strike, adding that "hospitals and medical personnel are protected under international humanitarian law."
Jordan's Foreign Ministry blamed the Israeli occupation for the strike. "Israel" bears "responsibility for this grave incident," a Ministry statement said, "strongly condemning" the aggression.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack, calling the attack "a brutal massacre" and "a heinous crime against defenseless civilians."
In a statement, the Gulf state called the attack on al-Ahli Arab Hospital a "blatant violation of the provisions of international law" and a "dangerous escalation in the course of the confrontations."
Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit called for stopping "this tragedy immediately," saying, "What diabolical mind intentionally bombards a hospital and its defenseless inhabitants?"
"Arab mechanisms will document these war crimes and the criminals will not get away with their actions," he vowed.
On his part, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, condemned the Israeli attack and urged immediate protection of civilians.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Ankara condemns the Israeli strike on the hospital in the Gaza Strip, stressing that the responsibility for this "barbaric" act will inevitably come under international law.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also underlined that the "unprecedented atrocity" that is taking place in the Gaza Strip needs to stop.
"The attack on a hospital, where women, children and innocent civilians were located, is the latest example of Israeli attacks deprived of the most basic human values. I call on all humanity to take action to stop this unprecedented atrocity in Gaza," he said on X.
The Israeli occupation deliberately bombed Al-Maamadani Hospital in the #Gaza Strip with the death toll expected to reach over 800 #Palestinians.#GazaUnderAttack #المستشفى_المعمداني pic.twitter.com/73mHZsgBBX
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 17, 2023
The African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat on Tuesday accused the Israeli occupation of committing a "war crime".
The deadly strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday is "totally unacceptable", UN human rights chief Volker Turk said, insisting that the perpetrators must be held to account.
"Words fail me," Volker Turk said in a statement, adding, "Hospitals are sacrosanct, and they must be protected at all costs."
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday called the strike on the hospital a "war crime" for which the United States is responsible.
"The monstrous strike on the hospital in the Gaza Strip is certainly a war crime. And the final responsibility for it lies with those who cynically make money on wars in different countries and different continents. Who recklessly hand out huge sums of money for weapons, loading their military and industrial complex. Who falsely broadcast their global mission to protect democratic values. The United States of America," Medvedev said on Telegram.
Failing to mention "Israel's" responsibility for the massacre, French President Emmanuel Macron said that "nothing can justify targeting civilians," calling for humanitarian access to the coastal strip "without delay".
Following the Israeli massacre, the head of the France Unbowed Party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, posted on X: "Is it so hard to condemn Netanyahu's war crimes? Is it so hard to condemn the racism that prevents us from seeing a Palestinian as a human being?"
C'est si dur de condamner les crimes de guerre de Netanyahu ? C'est si dur de condamner le racisme qui empêche de voir dans un palestinien d'abord un être humain ? Belles âmes bonnes consciences où êtes vous ?
— Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) October 17, 2023
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also condemned the attack, calling the news about it "horrific and absolutely unacceptable."
"International law needs to be respected in this and in all cases. There are rules around wars and it is not acceptable to hit a hospital," Trudeau told reporters.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, for his part, called for those responsible for the attack to be brought to justice. In addition, EU chief Charles Michel said that targeting civilian infrastructure in Gaza violates international law.
Read more: BBC has blood on its hands: How justifying war crimes resulted in one
