United Nations (UN) human rights chief Volker Turk on Tuesday condemned the massive strike at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City that killed more than 500 people.
In a statement, Turk said such aggression is totally unacceptable. “Words fail me. Tonight, hundreds of people were killed – horrifically – in a massive strike at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, including patients, healthcare workers and families that had been seeking refuge in and around the hospital,” he said.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 500 Palestinians were killed, although teleSUR’s Middle East correspondent, Hisham Wannous, updated the death toll to more than 750 civilians.
Local eyewitnesses reported that a rocket hit the hospital, with a huge explosion ripping through its premises. The Baptist Hospital in central Gaza provided assistance to the injured and sheltered thousands of displaced persons after their homes were destroyed by bombing.
I am horrified by the killing of hundreds of Palestinian civilians in a strike on a hospital in Gaza today, which I strongly condemn. My heart is with the families of the victims. Hospitals and medical personnel are protected under international humanitarian law.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres)
October 17, 2023
The UN human rights chief said, “We don’t yet know the full scale of this carnage, but what is clear is that the violence and killings must stop at once.”
In this respect, he urged all countries with influence to do everything in their power to bring an end to this situation. “Civilians must be protected, and humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need as a matter of urgency,” Turk said.
According to media reports, at least six people were also killed Tuesday afternoon when a UN school was hit in a refugee camp in Gaza’s middle area. The school had been serving as a shelter for some 4,000 people seeking refuge.
WHO statement on attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital and reported large-scale casualties
WHO strongly condemns the attack on Al Ahli Arab Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip. The hospital was operational, with patients, health and care givers, and internally displaced people… pic.twitter.com/iduiD0pA3q
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO)
October 17, 2023
For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) also strongly condemned the attack in a statement reporting large-scale casualties. WHO noted that the Al Ahli Arab Hospital was operational, with patients, healthcare workers, and internally displaced people sheltering there.
According to the organization, the hospital was one of 20 in the north of the Gaza Strip facing evacuation orders from the Israeli military. The order for evacuation has been impossible to carry out given the current insecurity, critical condition of many patients, and lack of ambulances, staff, health system bed capacity, and alternative shelter for those displaced.
#Israel ���� attacks hospital in #Palestine ���� in violation of the Vienna convention. pic.twitter.com/yj17widdZi
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)
October 17, 2023
WHO calls for the immediate active protection of civilians and healthcare workers, stressing that evacuation orders must be reversed, and the international humanitarian law must be abided by, which means healthcare must be actively protected and never targeted.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also expressed its condemnation. “Hospitals should be sanctuaries to preserve human life, not scenes of death and destruction. No patient should be killed in a hospital bed. No doctors should lose their lives while trying to save others. Hospitals must be protected under international humanitarian law,” the ICRC said.
