Arab and international condemnations of the Israeli bombing of a hospital in Gaza

The Israeli bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday was widely condemned by Arab states.

Official statements were issued by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon and Libya condemning the attack, which claimed the lives of more than 500 Palestinian civilians according to the latest statements by the Health Ministry in Gaza.

Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Afghanistan also condemned the Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of civilians, mostly children and women.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said it “condemns, in the strongest terms, the heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces by bombing Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza, which led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians, including children, (and) wounded and injured people.”

The statement stressed that it “categorically rejects this brutal attack” and called on the international community to cease dealing with double standards when it comes to “Israeli criminal practices.”

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry described the bombing of the hospital as “a brutal massacre and a heinous crime against defenseless civilians.”

It also said it was “a blatant violation of the provisions of international law and international humanitarian law.”

“The expansion of Israeli attacks in Gaza to include civilian targets, including hospitals, schools and population centers, is considered a dangerous escalation in the course of confrontations and portends dire consequences for the security and stability of the region,” it added.

Oman’s Foreign Ministry expressed its denunciation and condemnation of the targeting of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, stressing that what happened was a “war crime.”

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the Israeli bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital.

It stressed that “the deliberate bombing of civilian facilities and targets is a serious violation of the provisions of international and humanitarian law and the most basic values of humanity.”

The Algerian Presidency also condemned the “deliberate attack on the hospital in Gaza by the occupation forces.”

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati also condemned the act, which led to the fall of “hundreds of martyrs in the Baptist Hospital in Gaza as a result of an Israeli crime” and denounced “the global conscience that is silent about injustice.”

In Libya, the head of the National Unity Government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, said the targeting of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza “by the Israeli occupation forces is a brutal crime.”

Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar called on the international community to hold those responsible for this indefensible act “accountable.”

“Strongly condemn the Israeli attack on Al-Ahly Al-Mamadany Hospital in Gaza, causing immense civilian casualties. Targeting a hospital, a sanctuary for those in need, is an indefensible act of inhumanity.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim described the Gaza bombing as an “insane and inhuman act” and condemned Israel.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the Israeli attack on the hospital in Gaza and said Israel clearly violated international humanitarian law.

The Afghan Taliban interim administration also condemned the Israeli bombing of Gaza hospital and called it a “war crime.”

In a statement, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said Israeli forces committed crimes against humanity and said the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is calling on the peoples and governments of the whole world, human rights organizations, the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to do everything possible to prevent Israel’s atrocities as condemnations are not enough,” said Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesman for the ministry.

The African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat accused Israel of a “war crime” following the deadly strike.

EU chief Charles Michel said that targeting civilian infrastructure in Gaza breaks international law.

“An attack against a civilian infrastructure is not in line with international law,” Michel said after a videoconference of EU leaders.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell later wrote on social media that “the news coming from the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist hospital in Gaza add horror to the tragedy unfolding before our eyes since days.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said “nothing can justify targeting civilians” after a deadly strike on a Gaza hospital and called for humanitarian access to the coastal strip “without delay”.

More than 500 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told Anadolu.

Footage on social media showed corpses scattered across the hospital grounds.