Grief, condemnation after hospital bombing

Expressions of condemnation and grief are pouring in after hundreds of people were killed in an explosion at a Gaza City hospital that Hamas attributed to an Israeli airstrike but the Israeli military said was caused by a misfired militant rocket.

Countries such as Syria and Saudi Arabia blamed Israel for the blast, with Libya's Foreign Ministry accusing Israel of “war crimes and genocide” in the Gaza Strip. Iraq declared three days of mourning, and there were protests there and in Lebanon.

Egypt's President, Abdul-Fattah el-Sissi, condemned what he called Israel's “deliberate bombing” of Ahli Arab hospital and “a clear violation of international law ... and humanity.” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that his country condemns “the attack on the Al-Ahli Arabi hospital” and there's no justification for targeting a hospital or civilians.

Richard Peeperkorn, World Health Organization representative for the West Bank and Gaza, expressed “our deepest grief at the horror that has unfolded,” calling it “unprecedented even in a region that has seen consistent attacks on healthcare.” The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that it was “shocked and horrified by reports that Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza was destroyed.” The United Arab Emirates and Russia called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday. (AP)