New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Wednesday he was deeply shocked at the tragic loss of lives at the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza, where hundreds died in a blast Tuesday evening while Israel and Hamas trade charges on who might have caused it.
Modi condoled the deaths Wednesday, posting on X: “Our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, and prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured.”
Modi said civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict were “a matter of serious and continuing concern. Those involved should be held responsible”.
The recent conflict was triggered on 7 October after Hamas — de facto rulers of the Gaza Strip — launched a sea, air and land attack on southern Israel communities, killing over 1300 people and taking over 200 hostage.
Israel retaliated with extensive strikes on the Palestinian strip and cut off water, fuel, and food to the densely-populated area of over two million people. Israel also asked Gaza people to shift to the enclave’s south as it was posed to launch a ground invasion to flush out Hamas militants. Nearly 3,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died so far in Israeli strikes.
Tuesday’s strike on the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital in Gaza city has significantly escalated matters with Arab leaders calling off a meeting with US President Joe Biden who landed in Tel Aviv Wednesday in a show of solidarity with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.
Who fired the missile remains unclear, with Palestinian officials saying an Israeli air strike hit the hospital, with the West Bank’s Palestinian Authority health minister accusing Israel of causing a “massacre”.
Israel has blamed the blast on a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which has denied responsibility.
Biden landed in Tel Aviv Wednesday – beginning a visit to consult on the spiralling Gaza war – and was embraced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog on the tarmac. They spoke briefly before departing in a convoy, Reuters reported.
Barely hours after Hamas gunmen had rampaged through Israeli communities on 7 October, Modi had expressed solidarity with Israel, saying India stood with the country at this difficult hour. He posted on X: “We stand in solidarity with Israel… Deeply shocked by the news of terrorist attacks in Israel. Our thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families.”
He spoke to Netanyahu four days later and reiterated his support for Israel. He had said: “India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
I thank Prime Minister @netanyahu for his phone call and providing an update on the ongoing situation. People of India stand firmly with Israel in this difficult hour. India strongly and unequivocally condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 10, 2023