WHO condemns attack on Gaza hospital

Palestinian authorities claim that al-Ahli Arab Hospital has seen over 500 fatalities.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has condemned the assault on a Gaza hospital on Tuesday that left at least 500 Palestinians dead and has demanded “immediate” protection for Palestinian civilians. Israel has placed the blame for the attack on Hamas while denying responsibility.

The attack on the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in northern Gaza was “strongly condemned” by the WHO, according to Dr. Tedros Adhenom Ghebreyesus, the organization’s leader. “We demand that the evacuation orders be reversed and that civilians receive immediate medical care and protection.”

According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, an Israeli bombardment killed more than 500 Palestinians, including patients and bystanders looking for refuge. “Hundreds” more are still buried under the wreckage.

The most recent instance of Israel’s attacks lacking even the most fundamental human standards is their attack on a hospital that contained women, children, and defenceless people. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, made the statement on X. “I ask all humanity to take action to halt this unprecedented atrocity in Gaza.

Qatar’s foreign ministry issued a statement strongly denouncing the hit, saying, “The expansion of Israeli attacks over the Gaza Strip to include hospitals, schools, and other population centres is a dangerous escalation.”

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The ‘Israel War Room’ account on X, formerly known as Twitter, claimed that the Israel Defence Force (IDF) had “no air activity” at the time of the explosion and that it “coincided with a salvo of rockets launched at Israel,” implying that the “mass casualty event” at the hospital was “the result of a misfired rocket launch by Hamas.”

Anglican Christian organisation the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem manages the Al-Ahli, also known as the Baptist Hospital. According to reports, it was crowded with Palestinians who had been hurt by Israeli airstrikes and those who had fled their homes after Israel had mandated the “evacuation” of the northern Gaza Strip.

On October 7, Hamas sent its fighters across the border from Gaza and fired thousands of rockets towards Israel. The unexpected incursion caused at least 1,300 Israeli deaths, thousands of injuries, and up to 200 hostages.

In the midst of a widely anticipated ground invasion of the heavily populated region, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared “war” on the Palestinian organisation and threatened to “dismantle” it. He also launched air and artillery operations against Gaza.

In order to cancel a scheduled meeting with US President Joe Biden, who is scheduled to visit Israel and Jordan on Wednesday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cited the hospital strike.