New Delhi: Palestinian Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh demanded that the Arab and Islamic nations express their anger over the attack on a Gaza hospital that killed hundreds of people on Tuesday night. Haniyeh said in a recorded speech that was broadcast on Tuesday (October 17) that the people of the Arab and Islamic nations should “speak out” against the “massacre, this savagery, these crimes” perpetrated by Israel.
“I call on all the people of the Arab and Islamic nations to go out now condeming this massacre, this brutality, these crimes, go out in all the capitals, in all cities, raise your voices, for this enemy to stop. Let this nation stand as one, in one trench, with different geographies, affiliations, sects and races, because we are writing history, the next page of glory for our people and nation,” news agency Reuters quoted Haniyeh as saying in his address.
“To our brothers who will meet tomorrow (October 18) in the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the Islamic Council meeting, let their voice be loud, the statement strong, the position clear, no to half and quarter solutions. With the blood (shed) in Gaza, no to half words, our trust in Saudi Arabia and all Arab and Islamic nations that will be hosted tomorrow in Jeddah, our trust is big, that this blood, won’t be wasted and that the nations and this summit won’t pass on this (strike on Gaza hospital) unnoticed,” he added further.
The bombing of Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital killed hundreds of Palestinians, intensifying the crisis in the Middle East and creating a challenge for U.S. President Joe Biden as he travels to Israel on Wednesday (October 18) to demonstrate support for its war against Hamas.
Palestinian officials held Israel responsible for the air strike on the hospital, with the Palestinian Authority’s health minister labeling it a “massacre.” Israel denied involvement in the blast and attributed it to a botched rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which denied the claim.