Follow our live updates on day 12 of the Israel Hamas war.
${title}
Live ended
Summary
- Hamas alleges that an Israeli strike on a hospital in Gaza has killed hundreds. Israel blames Palestinian militants
- Protests have broken out across the occupied West Bank and major world cities over the incident
- Biden's summit with Arab leaders in Jordan has been cancelled over the hospital bombing, though he is still expected to visit Israel as planned
- UN Chief has called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire", as the crisis in Gaza continues to deepen
- More than 3,478 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza. Hamas’ 7 October attack inside Israel killed more than 1,400 people.
Euronews' live blog coverage of the Israel-Hamas war has ended for today. Stay with us on air and online for further updates.
We will be back tomorrow with the latest developments.
Saudi Arabia reiterates its 'strong' support for the 'Palestinian cause' to Iran
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan held a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hosein Amirabdolahian on Wednesday in which he reiterated Riyadh's "firm" support for "the Palestinian cause".
Faisal bin Farhan advocated support for efforts to achieve a "comprehensive and just" peace in the region.
US President Joe Biden leaves Israel after his meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister
US vetoes UN resolution condemning Hamas attacks on Israel and all violence against civilians
The United States vetoed a UN resolution on Wednesday that would have condemned Hamas attacks on Israel and all violence against civilians, and urged humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.
The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favour, with the United States against and two abstentions.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said after the vote that President Joe Biden was engaged in diplomacy in the region "and we need that diplomacy to work". She also criticised the resolution for saying nothing about Israel's right to self-defence.
Since 7 October100 Palestinian children have been killed in Israeli attacks, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, an independent organisation based in Geneva.
Israel to allow Egypt to deliver limited humanitarian aid to Gaza
Israel said on Wednesday it would allow Egypt to deliver limited amounts of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the decision was made in light of a request from visiting US President Joe Biden.
It said in a statement that it would 'not thwart' deliveries of food, water and medicine as long as they did not reach Hamas. The statement made no mention of the desperately needed fuel.
It was not clear when the aid would start flowing. Egypt's Rafah crossing has limited capacity and Egypt says it has been damaged by Israeli air strikes.
Israel, which controls most of the crossings into Gaza, says it will not allow deliveries from its territory. It has also demanded that the International Red Cross be allowed to visit kidnapped Israelis held in Gaza.
Israel responds to multiple attacks in southern Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces is responding to several small attacks on military posts along the border with Lebanon, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Wednesday.
Iran's president accuses the US of being an 'accomplice to Israel's crimes' in Gaza
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has accused the United States of being "complicit in the crimes" of Israel, following an attack on a hospital in Gaza.
"The bombs that are falling on the people of Gaza are American (...) The world considers the United States to be an accomplice in the crimes of the Zionist regime," Raissi told several thousand demonstrators gathered in a Tehran square.
Russia calls on US to provide satellite imagery to identify those responsible for Gaza hospital attack
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the massive explosion at the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza, Russian news agency TASS reported.
"(Israel) must not only comment in the media or on social media, it must provide the evidence."
Zakharova also called on the United States to provide satellite imagery that would help identify the perpetrator of the deadly attack.
Solidarity with Israel and solidarity with Palestinians go 'hand in hand,' says Josep Borrell
Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, was asked on Tuesday afternoon about the comments made by US President Joe Biden regarding the devastating explosion at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. The strike has reportedly killed hundreds but its authorship has not yet been established.
Speaking next to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden suggested that "the other team" was responsible for the attack, meaning Palestinian militants.
"I don't know. I cannot say anything about something I don't know. This is very sensitive. I cannot attribute an act without full knowledge and, at this moment, I don't have (it). It seems President Biden has more knowledge but it's still not sure," Borrell told reporters in Strasbourg after attending a plenary session of the European Parliament.
"This has to be verified. And certainly, accountability has to be required. Because it's an awful bombing."
"Apart from this bombing, the number of people killed in Gaza, it's about 3,000 people. And one quarter, 25% of them, are children," he went on. "So, to condemn the terrorist attack that Israel has suffered doesn't prevent us from showing concern about what's happening in Gaza. This is something that goes hand (in) hand."
Borrell urged the international community to renew negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians in order to tackle the root causes of the decades-long conflict and achieve a durable and just peace. "Otherwise, violence will be repeated," he warned.
Biden credits US reports for his endorsement of Israeli version of hospital attack
US President Joe Biden has clarified his statement that Palestinian militiamen may have been responsible for the attack that killed nearly half a thousand people at a Gaza hospital, based on information provided to him by the US Department of Defense.
"From what I've seen, it looks like the other side did it, not you," Biden said in his first remarks to the press after arriving in Israel.
As he later clarified after meeting with survivors of the 7 October Hamas attacks, this veiled reference to Palestinian responsibility did not come from Israeli sources. It was "data shown to me by my defence ministry", he said.
Attack on Gaza hospital: Turkey declares three days of national mourning
Turkey will declare three days of national mourning following the strike on a hospital in Gaza, a senior Turkish official told AFP, confirming a report in several local media.
The announcement will be made official by a presidential decree, according to Özlem Zengin, deputy leader of the president's AKP party in parliament, quoted by Turkish state broadcaster TRT and private channel NTV.
US announces sanctions targeting 10 Hamas members
The US announced sanctions on Wednesday against a group of 10 Hamas members and the Palestinian militant organisation's financial network in Gaza, Sudan, Turkey, Algeria and Qatar.
Sanctions by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control target members who manage a Hamas investment portfolio, a Qatar-based financial facilitator with close ties to the Iranian regime, a key Hamas commander, and a Gaza-based virtual currency exchange.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US was "taking swift and decisive action to target Hamas financiers and facilitators in the wake of the brutal and unconscionable massacre of Israeli civilians, including children".
"The US Treasury has a long history of effectively disrupting terror financing, and we will not hesitate to use our tools against Hamas," she said.
Netanyahu: "Israel will do everything possible to keep civilians out of harm's way
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he would do everything possible to keep civilians out of harm's way in his country's war against Hamas.
"As we move forward in this war, Israel will do everything possible to keep civilians out of harm's way," the Israeli leader said at the start of a meeting with his war cabinet and US President Joe Biden, who arrived in Israel on Wednesday.
"We will continue to work with you, Mr President, to ensure that the minimum requirements are met, and we will continue to work together to get our hostages out," he added.
Gaza death toll rises to 3,478 - Health ministry
The Gazan Health Ministry say a total of 3,478 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids as of Wednesday. A further 12,000 people have been wounded.
Hamas accuses Washington of being 'complicit in Israeli massacres' in Gaza
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas has accused Washington of being "complicit in the massacres" committed according to it by Israel in Gaza, after President Joe Biden adopted the Israeli version of a rocket attack that left hundreds dead in a hospital.
"The fact that the American president adopts the Israeli version, in particular that concerning the hospital massacre... confirms that the American administration blindly supports Israel and that it is complicit in these massacres", affirmed the Hamas in a statement released after Biden, currently visiting Israel, blamed the rocket fire that hit the hospital Tuesday evening “on the opposing side".
(AFP)
5,000 protest hospital strike near the Israeli embassy in Amman
Around 5,000 Jordanians are demonstrating near the Israeli embassy in Amman, after the strike on a Gaza hospital for which Israel and Hamas blame each other.
Local authorities say the number of protesters could increase despite security forces blocking roads leading to the embassy.
Jordan, bound by a peace treaty with the Israeli state, has declared that Israel "bears responsibility for this serious incident".
(AFP)
IN PICTURES: Thousands demonstrate in Tunis in front of the French embassy
Thousands of demonstrators have gathered again in front of the French embassy in Tunis expressing their anger against a deadly strike on a hospital in the Palestinian city of Gaza which left hundreds dead.
The demonstrators accuse France, as well as the United States, of being “allies of the Zionists” in the war.
(AFP)
Spain: 700 police officers deployed for a Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball match
More than 700 police officers will be deployed Wednesday evening in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia for the match between the local basketball team and Israeli club Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the Euroleague, due to the conflict in the Middle East, authorities have announced.
The match has been declared "high risk" by the authorities, who say "the presence of security and police personnel" will be reinforced and "participants will be subject to more exhaustive security checks".
“We have set up a global operation in which more than 700 members of the national police will work, in uniform and in civilian clothes,” explained the prefect of Valencia, Pilar Bernabé, during a press conference.
“I would also like to ask supporters... to show a little patience, because access will be more controlled this time,” Bernabé added.
(AFP)
WHO calls to 'cease all attacks against health establishments'
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called on Israel and Hamas to stop all attacks against medical facilities, the day after the deadly shooting that killed at least 200 people inside a hospital in Gaza.
“We are asking, at a minimum, to stop any attacks against health establishments,” said the head of WHO Europe, Hans Kluge in an interview with AFP.
“Secondly, we must protect civilians, children, and thirdly, we must allow humanitarian aid to access from Rafa to the interior of Gaza, because all our supplies are already based there, but the border "is not yet open", he added, saying he was "very worried".
"From 200 to 300" people died Tuesday at the Ahli Arab hospital, in central Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian territory, while Hamas, the Islamist organisation in power in the Gaza Strip, speaks of more than 500 dead.
(AFP)
Gaza hospital director makes urgent appeal for war to end
The director of the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza has made an urgent and emotional appeal for an end to the latest Hamas-Israel war after a devastating blast there on Tuesday night.
Speaking to The Associated Press by phone, Suhaila Tarazi said the grisly scenes she encountered in the aftermath of the explosion were “unlike anything I have ever seen or could ever imagine.”
She was not at the hospital at at the time of the Tuesday night blast but described body parts of children strewn everywhere in the hospital and the courtyard.
“Our hospital is a place of love and reconciliation,” Tarazi said. “We are all losers in this war. And it must end.”
Tarazi declined to comment directly on the death toll reported by the Hamas-run Health Ministry of at least 500 victims. “It could be more, it could be less. There are so many body parts that no one can really tell.”
(AP)
Biden says he will work with Israel to prevent 'further tragedy' for civilians
US President Joe Biden has assured, while in Tel Aviv, that he will work with Israel to avoid “further tragedy” for civilians.
“We will continue to work with you and our partners across the region to prevent further tragedy for innocent civilians,” he said.
During his meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister affirmed that his country “will do everything it can” to spare civilians.
Hamas spokesperson praises cancellation of Biden summit
A spokesperson for Hamas in Lebanon has praised the decision to cancel a summit in Jordan between Arab governments and US President Joe Biden following a deadly hospital blast in Gaza.
Biden was supposed to meet with Jordanian, Egyptian and Palestinian leaders on Wednesday in Amman in hopes of resolving the ongoing Gaza-Israel war.
Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan called for an immediate cease-fire, a humanitarian corridor into the blockaded Gaza Strip and the continuation of mass regional protests that took place after Tuesday night’s blast at the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.
He also called for Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Israel to “rise up against the Zionist enemy and clash with it in all cities, villages, and camps.”
(AP)
Israeli airstrike destroys a bakery at a Gaza refugee camp - reports
Fierce Israeli airstrikes hit houses in Gaza City and the southern border town of Rafah. Near the port, survivors said an Israeli airstrike hit a three-story building belonging to the Haboush family, killing 40 people and wounding 25.
In the central Gaza Strip, an airstrike hit a bakery at the Nuseirat refugee camp and ignited a massive fire that killed four bakers. Dozens of other bakeries across Gaza were forced to shut down due to a lack of water and electricity.
Supermarkets have dwindling supplies and are unable to restock because wholesalers cannot navigate the territory’s ravaged infrastructure to make deliveries.
The World Food Programme has warned that Gaza’s population is at “the risk of starvation” if 310 tons of food aid languishing at the Gaza-Egypt Rafah crossing are not urgently let through.
Iran’s foreign minister calls for oil embargo against Israel
Iran’s top diplomat is calling on Muslim nations to expel their Israeli ambassadors and launch an oil embargo on Israel after an explosion at a hospital in the Gaza Strip.
The comments on Wednesday by Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian mark the first time an oil embargo has been discussed since the conflict began.
“We expect the Islamic countries that have diplomatic relations with the Zionist regime to cut off their relations immediately and expel the Israeli ambassador from their country,” Amirabdollahian said in a clip aired by state television in Iran. “Secondly, the export of oil to the country of Israel and any project that exists between any Islamic state and Israel must be stopped immediately.”
There was no immediate acknowledgment of the call by Israel, nor any other nation. Amirabdollahian made the call while in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for an emergency meeting of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
(AP)
Save the Children calls for humanitarian corridor
As people in Gaza continue to suffer from dire shortages of water, food, electricity and fuel, aid organizations are pleading for a humanitarian corridor to allow for the entry of urgently needed supplies.
Jason Lee, Save the Children’s country director for the Palestinian territory, told The Associated Press that until that happens humanitarian agencies will be unable to deliver life-saving and essential assistance — and that time is running out.
“We have no visibility in our offices, on warehouses, the facilities that we have because we have all been told to move south,” he said. Despite this, some Save the Children staff are still delivering what services they can. “It is imperative once again, that the protection of civilians and adherence to international law is paramount. The rights of children apply all the time to every single child in every circumstance.”
(AP)
Netanyahu to Biden: Israel will do 'whatever it can' to spare civilians
(AFP)
Pope Francis announces prayer for peace in St. Peter’s Square
Pope Francis has announced an evening prayer service in St. Peter’s Square next week to pray for peace as he begged for an end to the Israeli-Hamas conflict and the unfolding “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
Francis announced the day of fasting and prayer on 27 October during his weekly general audience Wednesday. He urged all Christians and believers of other faiths to join in with local initiatives, while he presides over an evening hour of prayer in the Vatican.
Francis begged for all sides to do whatever is possible to prevent the war from spreading and to avoid a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
Saying he was thinking of both Palestinians and Israelis, Francis said the situation in Gaza was desperate.
“Silence the weapons. Listen to the cry for peace of the poor, of the people, of children,” he said. “War never resolves any problem. It only sows death and destruction, increases hatred, multiplies vendettas.”
(AP)
Iran calls for sanctions against Israel
Iran has called on Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries to impose sanctions on Israel, including an oil embargo and the expulsion of Israeli ambassadors to these states, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has said.
Spain increases security at ten embassies, including Israel, Palestine and France
Spain has stepped up security at ten embassies and diplomatic missions in the country.
The move came hours after the Interior Ministry's Terrorist Threat Assessment Council approved "complementary measures" as part of a level 4 out of 5 anti-terrorist alert.
The Secretary of State for Security ordered the security forces to increase security around the embassies of Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, France, Denmark, Sweden, the US and the UK.
Gaza death toll rises to 3,300 - 200 more since yesterday
The total number of people killed by Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip since the start of the war on 7 October is 3,300, according to figures released on Wednesday by the Gaza Health Ministry, a body controlled by the Islamist Hamas organisation.
Putin says Gaza hospital bombing is 'signal to end conflict'
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the bombing of the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza was a "catastrophe" and a sign that "the conflict must end".
"It is a terrible act, a catastrophe. Hundreds of people are dead and wounded. I am confident that it will be a sign that the conflict must end," the Kremlin leader told a press conference following the 3rd New Silk Road Forum in Beijing and his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Israel urges citizens to leave Turkey 'as soon as possible'
Israel has asked its citizens to leave Turkey as soon as possible for their own safety, the Israeli consulate in Istanbul told AFP on Wednesday, citing growing "terrorist threats" to its citizens abroad.
It said the security alert for Israeli travellers to Turkey had been raised to "level 4, the highest".
German chancellor condemns firebomb attack on Berlin synagogue
Attackers threw two Molotov cocktails at the synagogue in the centre of the German capital early on Wednesday, police said, amid a rise in anti-Semitic incidents in the country.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly condemned the attack, saying: "We will never accept attacks on Jewish institutions.
"Unknown persons threw two Molotov cocktails from the street," the Kahal Adass Jisroel congregation wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Dozens of police officers were investigating outside the synagogue, and the entire street next to the building was cordoned off and closed to traffic.
Germany's leading Jewish group said two people were involved in the attack, but didn't give further details.
Biden says hospital blast in Gaza 'appears' not to have been carried out by Israel
President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that an explosion at a Gaza hospital did not appear to have been caused by Israel.
“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting. But Biden said there were "a lot of people out there" who weren't sure what caused the explosion.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said an Israeli air strike caused the destruction. The Israeli military denied involvement and blamed a misfired rocket from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group.
But that organisation also denied responsibility.
Egyptian president refuses to host Palestinian refugees from Gaza in Sinai peninsula
Egyptian President Abdelfatah el-Sisi warned today that Egypt's Sinai Peninsula could become a staging ground for Israel to attack Egyptian territory if his country hosts Palestinians from Gaza displaced by Israel's war against Hamas.
He made the remarks at a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Cairo.
El-Sisi unexpectedly suggested that Palestinians from Gaza be sent to the Negev desert in southern Israel instead of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
"The displacement of Palestinian citizens from Gaza to Sinai simply means that the idea of resistance and struggle from Gaza will be in Sinai. Therefore, Sinai will be a base of operations against Israel, and in this case Israel will have the right to defend itself and direct its attacks against Egyptian territory".
Gaza hospital: Israel says it has 'proof' of Islamic Jihad responsibility
The Israeli army said on Wednesday it had "proof" that the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad was responsible for the explosion at a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of people.
The army released maps and an audio file it said was a conversation between two Hamas members pointing the finger of blame at Islamic Jihad.
"There was no army fire from land, sea or air that hit the hospital," said military spokesman Daniel Hagari. "Our radar systems located the rockets fired by the Gaza terrorists at the time of the explosion, and analysis of the trajectory shows that the rockets were fired near the hospital".
Hamas blamed Israel for the attack and Islamic Jihad called Israel's accusations that it was behind the attack "lies" amid mounting international condemnation.
'No excuse for hitting a hospital full of civilians,' says Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, spoke this morning about the devastating explosion at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, calling it "horrifying" and "distressing." The strike has reportedly killed hundreds but its authorship has not yet been established.
"Last night, a new, senseless tragedy has shocked us all. A hospital in Gaza – sheltering hundreds of wounded people – was turned into a hell of fire," von der Leyen told Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
"There is no excuse for hitting a hospital full of civilians. All facts need to be established, and those responsible must be held accountable. In this tragic hour, we must all redouble our efforts to protect civilians from the fury of this war."
Von der Leyen said there was "no contradiction in standing in solidarity with Israel and acting on the humanitarian needs of Palestinians" and defended her trip to Israel, which last week earned her ample criticism.
"I believe it was important to pass this message of solidarity in person, in Israel, just days after the Hamas attack," the Commission president said.
"Only if we acknowledge Israel's pain, and its right to defend itself, will we have the credibility to say that Israel should react as a democracy, in line with international humanitarian law."
Situation in Gaza spinning 'out of control' - WHO
Things in the Gaza Strip are "getting out of control" due to a lack of humanitarian aid, says the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“Every second we wait for medical help, we lose lives,” wrote Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the UN organisation, on X.
He pointed out that medical supplies have been blocked for four days at the Egypt-Gaza border, adding these vital products needed to be delivered immediately.
“We need an end to violence on all sides,” added the WHO director general.
Biden lands in Israel
US President Joe Biden just has arrived in Israel for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Western intelligence leaders wary of conflict fallout
Chiefs of Western intelligence services have said they are aware the violence in Israel and Palestine could spill over into their countries.
Intelligence officials from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia - a coalition known as the “Five Eyes” - convened in California to discuss Chinese economic espionage. But the meeting unfolded against the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said his agency is working with local law enforcement to address threats of violence against both the Jewish and Muslim communities.
David Vigneault, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said events like the Hamas attack lead to “soul searching” about “what we know, what we knew, what we can do in our own countries” to protect against similar violence.
(AP)
Arab states call for Gaza ceasefire
The 22 Arab countries at the UN have demanded an immediate end to the violence in Gaza following the devastating explosion at Gaza City hospital.
Arab states are “outraged by this massacre”, said Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador.
They are also united in demanding the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid and preventing “forcible displacement” of Palestinians, he added.
After the “massacre,” the highest objective is a ceasefire because “saving lives is the most important thing, said Mansour.
Protests sweep across Middle East over hospital strike
Demonstrations have broken out across the Arab world and beyond after a hospital in Gaza City was hit by an explosion, killing hundreds.
Hamas blames the blast on an Israeli airstrike. Israel denies its involvement and claims it was struck by a rocket launched by Palestinian militants.
Hezbollah in Lebanon called for a “day of rage” to coincide with US president Joe Biden’s arrival to the region.
Hundreds of demonstrators scuffled with Lebanese security forces outside the US embassy in Beirut after Hezbollah's call, with protesters throwing stones and setting a nearby building on fire, the AFP news agency reported.
Police fired volleys of teargas to disperse demonstrators, while medics treated people affected by the gas.
AFP detailed that the protesters chanted “death to America” and “death to Israel”.
Crowds also massed at the French embassy in Beirut, raising Hezbollah flags and hurling stones which piled up at the embassy’s main entrance.
Biden meeting with Arab leaders cancelled
Jordan has called off a summit due Wednesday with the US president and two other Arab leaders, the country’s foreign minister said on state-run television.
Ayman Safadi told al-Mamlaka TV that the war between Israel and Hamas was “pushing the region to the brink” and the summit would be postponed.
After visiting Israel on Wednesday, Biden had planned to travel to Amman for the meeting.
His complex diplomatic mission was supposed to ease tensions in the region and shore up humanitarian assistance for Gaza.
The planned summit was supposed to be attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, who also cancelled on Biden.
Anger and condemnation after hospital strike
Expressions of condemnation and grief are pouring in after hundreds of people were killed in an explosion at a Gaza City hospital.
Countries such as Syria and Saudi Arabia blamed Israel for the blast, with Libya’s Foreign Ministry accusing Israel of “war crimes and genocide” in the Gaza Strip. Iraq declared three days of mourning, and there were protests inside the country and in Lebanon.
Egypt’s President, Abdul-Fattah el-Sissi, condemned what he called Israel’s “deliberate bombing” of Ahli Arab hospital and “a clear violation of international law ... and humanity.”
Israel denies its involvement in the blast, blaming it on Palestinian militants.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that his country condemns “the attack on the Al-Ahli Arabi hospital” and there's no justification for targeting a hospital or civilians.
Richard Peeperkorn, World Health Organization representative for the West Bank and Gaza, expressed “our deepest grief at the horror that has unfolded,” calling it “unprecedented even in a region that has seen consistent attacks on healthcare.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that it was “shocked and horrified by reports that Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza was destroyed.”
The United Arab Emirates and Russia called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
(AP)
Hundreds killed in Israeli attack on Gaza hospital, says Hamas
The Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip says at least 500 people have been killed in an explosion at a Gaza City hospital, which it blamed on an Israeli airstrike.
If confirmed, it would be by far the deadliest Israeli strike in five wars fought since 2008.
Israel's military later denied responsibility, saying the militant group Islamic Jihad was to blame.
Hamas authorities said most of the people killed were hospital patients and displaced families.
“A new war crime committed by the [Israeli] occupation by bombing the Al-Ahli Hospital in the centre of Gaza City,” said Salama Marouf, a spokesperson for Hamas.
"The hospital was housing hundreds of patients, wounded, and those forcibly displaced from their homes due to the strikes."