World In Shock As Israeli Strike Kills Over 500 In Gaza Hospital
The Gaza Health Ministry underscores the vital role the hospital played in shielding civilians.
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The persistent conflict between Palestine and Israel shows no signs of abating, with the Zionist regime’s ongoing attacks this week resulting in the tragic loss of innocent lives.
Today, in the heart of Gaza, a hospital housing patients and local residents seeking refuge from the conflict fell victim to an Israeli military strike.
The early morning bombardment on 18 October has led to the loss of an estimated 500 lives, including patients and displaced Palestinians sheltering inside.
Highest Single-Day Casualty Count in an Israeli Attack Since 2008
Al Jazeera’s report, released on 18 October, confirms that this incident marks the highest single-day death toll in an Israeli military operation since 2008.
The bombing of al-Ahli Arab Hospital has garnered international condemnation, with widespread images circulating on both media outlets and social platforms, portraying the devastating aftermath of the strike.
Evident in these widely shared social media images, the hospital has been entirely obliterated, leaving countless casualties in its wake.
“There is a flagrant disregard for the lives of civilians,” remarked the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) via social media.
The World Health Organization (WHO) condemned the attack on the hospital and called for “the immediate active protection of civilians and health care” workers.
Al-Ahli Arab Hospital’s Crucial Role as a Civilian Sanctuary
The Gaza Health Ministry issued a statement explaining the hospital had served a vital role in offering shelter to civilians.
“The hospital was housing hundreds of sick and wounded, and people forcibly displaced from their homes,” the ministry affirmed.
Tens of thousands of families have flocked to Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals seeking refuge from seemingly endless Israeli army shelling.
Videos surfaced online of bodies covering the grass, with slain children lying among dead adults.
Health Personnel and Civilians Attend to the Deceased
Gaza has a population of more than two million and the crisis has displaced some 600,000 people.
Many have sought safety in hospitals which are already overwhelmed with rising casualties and deaths, and as fuel and medical supplies dwindle.
Al Jazeera’s on-site footage also reveals health workers and civilians collaborating to respectfully handle the victims, covering them with bags and white sheets.
Jazeeral
Mustafa Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) political party, told Al Jazeera that the hospital attack should prompt world leaders to question their support for Israel.
“Nobody in the world even attacks hospitals in any other country of the world,” Barghouti asserted.
“Will they condemn this Israeli massacre? Will they condemn this Israeli behaviour? They know they can stop Israel. They know they can restrain Israel. They are the ones who are giving weapons and money and support to these Israeli aggressors.”
He added that he felt civilian infrastructure was being deliberately targeted in Israeli attacks.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also weighed in on the matter and described Israel’s latest attack as excessive.
He also expressed his dismay with Western countries that discuss human rights.
“If the victims continue to be women, children, and patients, this has reached the level of insanity and a loss of humanity,” he said.
Israel’s Ongoing Assault on Innocent Civilians
In recent days, a series of attacks by the Zionist forces have led to substantial casualties among the civilian population, particularly within hospitals and schools.
Before the al-Ahli Arab Hospital deaths, Israeli strikes on Gaza killed at least 2,778 people and wounded 9,700, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and nearly two-thirds of those killed were children.
Another 1,200 people across Gaza are believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead, health authorities said.
Nonetheless, certain segments of Western media and select international figures, seemingly turning a blind eye and a deaf ear, continue to lend support to Israel and place blame on Palestine for the unfolding situation.
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