Hundreds of innocent Palestinians are being killed every day in relentless Israeli bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip. The Israeli bombardment has levelled entire neighbourhoods in the densely-populated territory, whose residents have nowhere to flee. Since October 7, when Israel launched strikes following a cross-border attack by Hamas, which also left hundreds of Israelis dead, the Israeli bombardment has killed around 3,500 Palestinians and injured another 13,000 in Gaza. Most of the victims are ordinary Palestinians.
In its brutal campaign against Gaza, the Israeli military committed another grave war crime on Tuesday by hitting a hospital in Gaza and killing around 500 people there. The Israeli act drew widespread condemnation from Arab and Muslim countries and international organisations. But unfortunately as has been the case in the past, there is little hope that perpetrators of these crimes will be held accountable.
Israel also hit a UN-run school in Gaza sheltering people and killed six people there on Tuesday, according to UN agency for Palestinian refugees. “This is outrageous, and it again shows a flagrant disregard for the lives of civilians,” UNRWA said.
Qatar has slammed Israel’s bombing of of Al Ahli Baptist Hospital, terming it a massacre and blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law. It warned that Israel’s expansion of Gaza campaign to include civilian infrastructure including hospitals and schools is a dangerous escalation and portends dire consequences for the security and stability of the region. It also warned, in this context, that the complicity of the international community, sometimes with silence, and sometimes with selectivity regarding war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people will increase the state of tension, expand the cycle of violence, and lead to further escalation and instability. In this regard, it called on the international community to assume its responsibility and prevent Israel from committing more crimes against civilians.
An emergency meeting of foreign ministers from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation yesterday also called for end to impunity for Israel in its actions against Palestinians. The bloc said it “deplores the international positions that back the brutal aggression against the Palestinian people, and grant Israel impunity, taking advantage of the double standards that provide cover for the occupying power”. Speaking at the session, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al Maliki said, “Everyone who gave Israel carte blanche to wage this deadly war, provided it with weapons, and even sent military reinforcements to support it in committing this heinous crime, colluded with this crime.”
