Gaza Strip Hospital Airstrike Tragedy... "Brutal Massacre" Sparks Widespread Criticism of Israel

At Least 500 Dead in Gaza Hospital Airstrike
Middle Eastern Countries Criticize Israel... "Brutal Massacre"
Israel and Jihad Rocket Misfire Claims Disputed

As a hospital in the Gaza Strip of Palestine was bombed, resulting in hundreds of deaths, international criticism against Israel is mounting.

According to foreign media, on the afternoon of the 17th (local time), at least 500 people died in a tragedy caused by an airstrike on Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, the central city of the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip Ministry of Health, governed by the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, stated, "There are still people under the rubble," indicating that the death toll could rise.

Residents of the Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza Strip search for survivors in a building destroyed by Israeli military airstrikes on the 17th (local time). On the same day, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that approximately 3,000 people were killed and more than 12,500 injured in Gaza due to Israel's retaliatory airstrikes. Photo by AP Yonhap News

While Hamas and Israel dispute responsibility for the hospital airstrike, Middle Eastern countries have raised their voices blaming Israel. The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that "Israel is responsible for this serious incident," and the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized it as "a cruel massacre and a heinous crime against defenseless civilians."

There is also a flood of criticism that this attack violates international law.

United Nations Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres condemned the incident via X (formerly Twitter), saying, "The deaths of hundreds of Palestinian civilians are appalling." Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), also stated on X, "WHO strongly condemns Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip hospital." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized that "hitting hospitals is absolutely unacceptable" and stressed the importance of respecting international law.

As clashes intensify between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas, children are seen sitting in the back seat of an ambulance after an airstrike on Al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza Strip on the 17th (local time). Foreign media reported that at least 500 people were killed when the Israeli military bombed the hospital, but Israel blames Hamas for the failure of rocket attacks. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

As suspicions arose that the Gaza Strip hospital was bombed by the Israeli military, criticism against Israel intensified, causing disruptions to U.S. President Joe Biden's travel plans.

President Biden had originally planned to visit Israel and then move to Jordan to meet with Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, but after the airstrike, Abbas canceled the meeting with President Biden.

Meanwhile, Hamas and Israel are exchanging accusations over responsibility for the airstrike. Hamas claims it was due to an Israeli military airstrike, but Israel points to a rocket misfire by the Palestinian armed group Islamic Jihad as the cause. However, Islamic Jihad denied this, calling it "a lie, fabrication, and completely wrong."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.