In a scathing rebuke, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has decried Israel's actions as a "horrific war atrocity" following the attack on Gaza's al-Ahli Arab Hospital. The assault resulted in the tragic loss of at least 500 lives, prompting Abbas to emphasize that such brutality cannot be tolerated and represents a crossing of all boundaries.
President Abbas, speaking on Wednesday morning, made it unequivocally clear that any discussions beyond the immediate cessation of hostilities are unacceptable. He stressed, "Israel has transgressed all limits, and we will not leave nor permit anyone to displace us from our land."
Authorities in the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip's health sector attributed the incident to an Israeli airstrike that occurred on Tuesday evening. In contrast, Israel's military attributed the tragedy to a botched rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad armed group.
Mahmoud Abbas was in Jordan for a four-way summit, initially involving discussions with U.S. President Joe Biden, Jordan's King Abdullah II, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. However, Abbas withdrew from the summit in response to the hospital attack.
Subsequently, Jordan announced the cancellation of the summit with the U.S. and Egyptian leaders. As a result, President Biden will proceed with his visit to Israel while postponing his planned trip to Jordan, according to a White House official.
Al Jazeera's correspondent, Alan Fischer, reporting from Tel Aviv, highlighted that Biden aimed to serve as an impartial mediator and extend support to Israel, especially in the aftermath of the recent Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7. Fischer noted that Biden sought to encourage Israel to exercise restraint in its operations in Gaza to mitigate the humanitarian impact. This plea has become even more pressing in the wake of the events at al-Ahli Arab Hospital.
Fischer emphasized, "Clearly, President Biden is stepping into a situation that is considerably more volatile than anticipated. This could potentially strengthen his hand when engaging with Israeli officials, emphasizing the risk that an extended military operation in Gaza might erode the global support they have."
The majority of the victims affected by the hospital attack were women and children, as reported by Al Jazeera's Safwat Kahlout from Gaza, citing local health authorities. Kahlout also mentioned that the death toll is expected to rise, as many victims have yet to be identified.
In Gaza, several hospitals received evacuation warnings from Israel, despite international laws designating hospitals as safe zones exempt from attacks. Kahlout stressed that in Gaza, these principles are not upheld, highlighting the grave consequences of such actions.
Ashraf al-Qidra, a spokesperson for the Health Ministry in Gaza, reportedly said that al-Ahli Arab Hospital is a historically significant facility associated with the Anglican Church. The hospital served as a refuge for numerous displaced families and patients, becoming essential due to the ongoing Israeli assaults on Gaza. Ambulance services are working tirelessly to recover bodies, including those of many children.
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