World demands accountability over strike on Gaza that killed hundreds
A woman reacts as people gather at the site of the Ahli Arab hospital in central Gaza on Oct 18, 2023 in the aftermath of an overnight strike there. (PHOTO / AFP)
The United Nations and Arab states strongly condemned the Oct 17 blast at a hospital in Gaza, describing the incident that killed at least 471 people as a “massacre” and reiterating their call for an immediate ceasefire.
The hospital blast also prompted the cancellation of a planned four-party meeting in Jordan involving Jordan, Egypt, Palestine and the US.
United States President Joe Biden arrived in Tel Aviv on Oct 18 for talks with Israeli leaders.
An angry Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the hospital blast a “hideous war massacre” that cannot be tolerated or allowed to pass without accountability, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Also slamming the explosion at Gaza’s Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital was United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who reiterated his call for an immediate cease-fire during a speech at the third Belt and Road Summit in Beijing on Oct 18. He said the Middle East region “is on the precipice”.
“Immediately before departing for Beijing, I made two urgent humanitarian appeals. To Hamas, for the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages. To Israel, to immediately allow unrestricted access of humanitarian aid to respond to the most basic needs of the people of Gaza, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children,” said Guterres.
He said that he was “fully aware of the deep grievances of the Palestinian people after 56 years of occupation” but they “cannot justify the acts of terror against civilians” committed by Hamas on Oct 7. That was the day when Hamas, or the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza.
“But those attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Each of my two humanitarian appeals have a value themselves. They are not bargaining chips. They are simply the right thing to do,” said Guterres.
“Too many lives and the fate of the entire region hangs in the balance. May the spirit of this (Belt and Road) meeting help those that need to find peace,” he added.
Arab countries at the UN supported the demand for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, the Associated Press (AP) reported on Oct 18.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, said the 22 Arab Group members were “outraged by this massacre” and united in demanding the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid and preventing “forcible displacement” of Palestinians.
Mansour was quoted by AP as saying that the main objective now is a cease-fire because “saving lives is the most important thing”.
On the evening of Oct 17, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 471 people, including children, health care staff, and internally displaced people, were killed in the explosion at Al Ahli Baptist hospital in Gaza city.
The Palestinian Authority declared three days of public mourning for the victims of the hospital attack, as well as other Palestinian civilians who had died in the ongoing conflict.
Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaineh accused Israel of bombing the hospital, stressing that it “should bear full responsibility.”
However, the Israeli military blamed the blast on a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group in Gaza.
In a briefing, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed grave fears for civilians in the coming days, saying that a “staggering” 4,200 people had been killed and over 1 million people displaced in just 10 days.
It also noted that large areas in Gaza have been “reduced to rubble” and residents have no place to hide.
“Military operations show no signs of abating, the continued siege on Gaza is affecting water supply, food, medicine, and other basic needs, and there are daily indications of violations of the laws of war and international human rights law,” the UN Human Rights Office said.
“The death toll includes a large number of women and children, as well as at least 11 Palestinian journalists, 28 medical staff and 14 UN colleagues. It remains unclear how many more bodies may be buried in the rubble …”
