On Wednesday, the Lebanese movement Hezbollah declared a “day of anger” against Israel in response to a rocket strike on a hospital in the Gaza Strip. The movement called on citizens of Arab and Muslim countries to take to the streets in protest.
The rocket attack, which took place on October 17th, targeted a Baptist hospital in the Gaza Strip. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the majority of the casualties were women and children, with over 800 people killed or injured.
Arab countries, Iran, and Turkey swiftly condemned the attack. The Palestinian Prime Minister described it as a “horrible crime” and “genocide,” holding countries supporting Israel accountable.
Initially, Israeli military officials claimed to have no details about the explosion but were conducting an investigation. Previously, the Israeli Defense Forces accused Hamas of using Palestinian civilians as human shields.
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, called for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Israel’s siege on Gaza, stating that “war crimes are being committed during the 10-day bombardment of the enclave’s two million population.”
Zomlot alleged that the Israel Defense Forces targeted medical and rescue teams with airstrikes as they attempted to reach civilians. He also accused Israel of using white phosphorus and carrying out “disproportionate, deadly” bombings, urging the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, to take immediate and responsible action.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the deadly explosion at the Baptist hospital in Gaza, which he claimed was caused by a rocket from the Islamic Jihad organization (banned in Russia). He criticized media reports about the tragedy.
“The Islamic Jihad rocket killed numerous Palestinians at the Gaza hospital, a place where lives should be saved,” Herzog wrote on social media.
According to the IDF, the explosion was caused by a “failed rocket launch” by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.
Herzog dismissed the accusations made by officials in the Gaza Strip, blaming the IDF for the explosion.
Earlier, Russia called for a UN Security Council meeting in response to the attack on Al-Aqsa hospital.
