An Israeli airstrike on Tuesday hit al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, where thousands of civilians sought medical treatment and shelter from ongoing attacks, killing over 500 people, according to health authorities in Gaza. This marks the deadliest Israeli airstrike since 2008.
Photographs purportedly from al-Ahli Hospital, widely shared on social media, depicted the building engulfed in flames, extensive damage, and bodies scattered amid the wreckage.
Israel has denied responsibility for the attack.
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning in response to the Israeli bombing of al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
A spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the airstrike as an instance of “genocide” and labelled it a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
Abbas has also canceled a previously planned meeting with US President Joe Biden scheduled or Wednesday.
Zaher Sahloul, the head of the US-based MedGlobal humanitarian organisation, described the mass-casualty Israeli strike on the al-Ahli Arab Hospital as “the worst attack on a medical facility in the 21st century.”
Human Rights Watch described the attack on the Gaza hospital was “horrific beyond words” and urged world leaders to prevent further “large-scale atrocities” in Gaza.
The attack on al-Ahli hospital drew condemnation from several world leaders and sparked protests in many countries in the region.
In a statement, the Jordanian foreign ministry strongly condemned Israel’s attack and called for international protection for Palestinian civilians, as well as an end to the fighting. King Abdullah II described Israel’s bombing of a Gaza hospital as a “massacre” and a “war crime” that cannot be overlooked.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, Iran and Canada have put out statements condemning the attack on the hospital.
Amid the escalating violence, several hospitals in Gaza City have become refuges for hundreds of people who hoped to avoid bombardment. This decision came after Israel ordered all residents of the city and surrounding areas to evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip. Since Hamas’ 7 October attack, over 3,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.