Hamas and Israelis exchange accusations over attack on Gaza hospital

O Hamas called the explosion “a horrible massacre”, stressing that it was caused by an Israeli attack.

Shortly afterwards, after initially denying responsibility and after a new update on the situation, the Army reiterated that Israeli forces had not reached the hospital, which was destroyed “as a result of a poorly fired rocket by the terrorist organization Jihad Islamic”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the hospital attack on “barbarian terrorists from Gaza”: “Those who brutally killed our children are killing their own children.”

The tenth day of the conflict triggered by Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel generated strong reactions from around the world.

From Arab countries, the bombing of the hospital generated widespread condemnation, with protesters taking to the streets in Amman and Tunis.

Countries such as Oman, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey or Morocco have pointed out responsibilities to Israel.

In Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, clashes broke out on Tuesday night between protesters calling for the departure of the president of the Palestinian Authorities, Mahmoud Abbas, and his security forces.

The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, called for the celebration of a “day of anger” this Wednesday, to condemn the attack that it attributed to Israel.

Regional heavyweight, Saudi Arabia denounced a “violation of all international laws and standards”, denouncing the continuation of “attacks against civilians” by Israel.

In the West, the Portuguese Minister of Foreign Affairs, João Gomes Cravinho, classified as “horrendous and shocking” the deaths of “hundreds of innocent people” in bombings against a hospital and a school in Gaza.

Also this Tuesday, at least six people died and dozens were injured in an Israeli attack on a school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, said the organization, which denounced a “blatant disregard for civilian lives”.

Expected today in Israel, US President Joe Biden postponed his planned stop in Jordan, said the White House, expressing its “deep condolences” to the victims of the hospital attack.

Previously, Jordan had already announced the cancellation of a summit in which Biden would participate in Amman, with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and Abbas.

French President Emmanuel Macron firmly condemned the attack, stressing that “nothing can justify attacking civilians”, while the European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, called for responsibility to be clearly clarified.

The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, stressed that “an attack against civilians is not in accordance with international law”, while the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, avoided assessing the attack, claiming that she needed to confirm what had happened. .

Organizations such as Media Without Borders (MSF) or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also condemned the bombing, while the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stressed that the deadly attack on a hospital in the Strip of Gaza is “totally unacceptable”.

The surprise attack by Hamas on October 7th caused more than 1,400 deaths in Israel, most of them civilians.

In the Gaza Strip, the conflict between the Jewish State and the enclave’s militias that began on October 7 has already caused at least 3,000 deaths among the Palestinian population, according to data from the Ministry of Health, which refers to more than 12,500 injuries.

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