New Delhi: The blast at the Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, which has led to both Israel and Palestinians trading charges, has put a dampener on US President Joe Biden’s ongoing visit to Israel and dashed his plans to attend a summit in Jordan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed concern over the tragedy in which at least 500 people were killed.
Taking to social media platform X in the early hours of Wednesday morning, Biden said he is “shocked and deeply outraged” over the hospital bombing.
“Immediately upon hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and have directed my national security team to continue gathering information about what exactly happened,” Biden posted.
I am outraged and deeply saddened by the explosion at the Al Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, and the terrible loss of life that resulted. Immediately upon hearing this news, I spoke with King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and have directed my national…
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 17, 2023
During his meeting with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, initial moments of which were covered by the media, Biden said, “I was deeply sad by the explosion at the hospital in Gaza yesterday. Based on what I have seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you (Israel).”
Biden’s remarks come a day after he had announced that his trip to Israel, amid the country’s conflict with Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas, would be in solidarity over the attack on an Israeli music festival on 7 October.
“I’ll then travel to Jordan to address dire humanitarian needs, meet with leaders, and make clear that Hamas does not stand for Palestinians’ right to self-determination,” Biden had said in Tuesday post.
On Wednesday, I'll travel to Israel to stand in solidarity in the face of Hamas's brutal terrorist attack.
I'll then travel to Jordan to address dire humanitarian needs, meet with leaders, and make clear that Hamas does not stand for Palestinians' right to self-determination.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 17, 2023
However, his visit to Jordan was abruptly cancelled after Jordan called off a summit it was to host in Amman on Wednesday.
Biden was scheduled to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas after Israel.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his deep shock on X, over the hospital bombing in Gaza. “Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern. Those involved should be held responsible,” PM Modi said.
Deeply shocked at the tragic loss of lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and prayers for speedy recovery of those injured.
Civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict are a matter of serious and continuing concern.…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 18, 2023
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The hospital bombing
At least 500 people were killed after a massive blast ripped through the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza Tuesday night, the Hamas-run health ministry said in a statement, adding that efforts are still underway to recover bodies from under the rubble.
Authorities in Gaza accused Israeli defence forces of having struck the hospital without any prior warning, while Tel Aviv alleged that the blast was the result of a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which, in turn, denied the claim.
With the situation on the ground still fluid, the blast at the Gaza city hospital spurred protests in parts of the Middle East.
In the immediate aftermath of the hospital blast, the health ministry in Gaza alleged that Israel struck the Al-Ahli hospital as part of its counter-offensive against Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in control of the Gaza Strip since 2006.
Responding to the charge, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to X to allege that it was the “barbaric terrorists in Gaza that attacked the hospital in Gaza, and not the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)”.
The IDF later shared a video, claiming it to be footage recorded by the Israeli Air Force from the “area around the hospital before and after the failed rocket launch by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organisation”.
In another post, Netanyahu’s office claimed an analysis by the IDF indicated that a “barrage of rockets was fired by terrorists in Gaza, passing in close proximity to the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza at the time it was hit”.
Naor Gilon, Ambassador of Israel to India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, too, alleged that the hospital in Gaza was hit by an “Islamic Jihad rocket”.
“This ability of the Palestinians to invade 30 Jewish communities, slaughter 1400+ Israelis, kidnap more than 200, shoot 7000+ rockets at Israeli civilians and still play the victim is amazing,” he added.
THE HOSPITAL IN GAZA WAS HIT BY AN ISLAMIC JIHAD ROCKET!!
This ability of the Palestinians to invade 30 Jewish communities, slaughter 1400+ Israelis, kidnap more than 200, shoot 7000+ rockets at Israeli civilians and still play the victim is amazing.
The ‘eagerness’ of some in… pic.twitter.com/X9oks2hptD
— Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) October 18, 2023
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, however, rebutted Israel’s claim that the hospital blast was the result of a “failed rocket launch”. Addressing reporters Wednesday, Mansour called Netanyahu a “liar” and reiterated the allegation made by the health ministry in Gaza that the blast was caused by an Israeli strike.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Sunni Islamist militant group, blamed Israel for the blast and denied any responsibility. “The Zionist enemy is trying hard to evade its responsibility for the brutal massacre he committed by bombing the Baptist Arab National Hospital in Gaza through his usual fabrication of lies, and through pointing the finger of blame at the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine,” the PIJ said in a statement.
The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco — which have forged formal ties with Israel — have blamed Tel Aviv for the blast, while dismissing Israeli claims that the facility was hit by an errant Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket. The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco were among the four signatories to the Abraham Accords with Israel, brokered by the Trump administration in 2020. Saudi Arabia, too, was quick to condemn the blast, calling it a “heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces”.
The hospital bombing has also sparked anti-Israel protests by civilians in Turkey and across the Arab world, including Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait as well as in North Africa, according to a CNN report.
“In Lebanon, hundreds of protesters gathered in the square that leads to the US embassy north of Beirut on Tuesday and tried to break through security barriers…In Istanbul, Turkish security forces used water cannon and pepper spray to disperse protesters who managed to force their way into a compound where the Israeli consulate is located,” the CNN report added.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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