UN Secretary General António Guterres said he was “horrified” by the murder of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in the attack on a hospital in Gaza, stressing that hospital facilities and medical staff “are protected by International Humanitarian Law.” .
In a post on Platform
I am horrified by the death of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in an attack on a hospital in Gaza today, which I strongly condemn. My heart goes out to the families of the victims. Hospitals and medical staff are protected by international humanitarian law.
– Antonio Guterres (@antonioguterres) October 17, 2023
In an official statement, Guterres’ spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, in addition to condemning the attack on the hospital – which had “women and children” among the victims – also condemned Tuesday’s attack on a school run by the United Nations Humanitarian Aid Agency. Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza, in which at least six people died.
“The Secretary General offers his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured,” Dujarric said.
The former Portuguese prime minister also stressed “that hospitals, clinics, medical personnel and UN facilities are explicitly protected by international law,” the statement concludes.
The Islamist movement Hamas blamed Israel for tonight’s attack on Al Ahli Anglican Episcopal Hospital, and the Israeli military blamed Islamic Jihad.
Images released from the hospital showed a large fire surrounding the building’s facades, broken glass and bodies, many of them dismembered, scattered around the area.
Several hospitals in Gaza City became places of refuge for hundreds of people, hoping to escape the continued bombing, and after Israel ordered all residents of the city and its surroundings to evacuate to the south of the Gaza Strip, and which several international organizations considered impossible to achieve since it involved more than a million inhabitants.
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 reports more than 12,500 injuries.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have killed at least 50 Palestinians, wounded hundreds and made at least 200 arrests.
Hamas’ surprise attack on October 7 left more than 1,400 dead in Israel, most of them civilians.
Source: TSF
